Above the Shadow
by Dimitri61
Summary: *Sequel to Under the Shadow must read * Dimitri had slain the darkness and sealed the Twili realm, but many loose ends were left untied. While Hyrule is oblivious to what happened six months ago, the last time Dimitri was seen, another crisis is imminent.
1. Above the Shadow Pt 1

Link sat alone under a two mile tall waterfall, just like his brother used to do for hours at a time. He could barely stand forty-five minutes himself. He used this as a way to clear his mind. He thought about what had happened six months ago.

The Twili had resurfaced, led by what they had believed to be his lover Midna. But it was actually a plot by the Goron elders, turned Twili. His brother, Dimitri had slaughtered all of them, and brought the plot to light. Ralis, the Zora prince who turned into a Twili, was the real conspirator behind it all. Dimitri used the completed triforce to defeat the possessed Ralis. That was where his memory faded out. He didn't know what happened after that.

He never found out what happened to his brother. The only four who remember him were him, Midna, Princess Zelda, and Ralis, who was somehow spared to become Zelda's lover. No one knew how the struggle had ended, but were glad it did. The rest of Hyrule was oblivious to anything that had happened.

"Link?" He heard his lover's voice. He returned to the world of reality. He looked out into the water and saw Midna swimming in the calm, crystal waters. "Would you like to take a break from your waterfall training?"

"That doesn't sound too bad." He stood up shakily under the water pressure. He jumped into the water from the rock he had been sitting on. He came up to the surface behind Midna, holding her close in the water. "I could go for a break."

"It is a beautiful day." Midna leaned into Link and his caressing arms. "Perhaps we should send a message to Zelda and Ralis?"

"Why not?" Link whistled and a hawk came to him in the water. He took paper and pen from the hawk's talons. He wrote while floating with Midna against him. "To Zelda."

The hawk took off, knowing exactly where to go. It had made the journey many times.

"I don't think we will ever lose touch with them." Midna closed her eyes, laying her head back on his shoulder.

"We were all brought together by Dimitri, forever linked by him." Link directed them aimlessly through the Zora Reservoir. "He was my brother, your savior, Ralis' student, and Zelda's lover. I don't see how we'll ever forget him."

"You'd be better off forgetting him." A deep voice rang from the mountain over 10,000 feet above them. They looked up in surprise. They couldn't see anyone. "He was not worth remembering."

"Who the hell are you?!" Link yelled up to the source of the voice. There was a long silence.

"I am a witness of the tragedies of the past." The voice grew louder. "I am the hand that guides this land of Hyrule. I decide which direction you move, Hero of Time… Twilit Princess…"

"How do you know us?!" Midna called. Again, a silence settled.

"I know everything of the past and future. It is the present that confuses me. I have seen what will become of you two. I do not wish for anything to disturb the balance of the triforce." The voice answered. "I am the emissary of the triforce. I keep the world turning. I make sure that darkness does not overtake the light."

"I'm going up there and seeing who he is." Link started bringing them to the shore.

"I want to know too." Midna followed Link out of the water.

They used their physically adept bodies to climb the steep grade in just minutes. They pulled each other over the summit and saw a tall, muscular man wearing a long black cloak covering his body. He had a long broadsword on his back.

"Why do you question me? Am I not believable?" The man asked, hiding behind the cloak pulled over his head. "Why must mortals see to believe?"

"Because they are easily deceived." Link stepped closer to the enigma. The figure did not react.

"But they are just as easily deceived by sight." The figure laughed and remained still.

"Show me your face." Link demanded.

"Why?" He asked.

"You look like someone I used to know." Link grabbed the figure. He ripped the cloak off, but before they could see who it was, the man threw the cloak over Link and Midna. He grabbed both of them, still covered by the cloak, and threw them over the side of the waterfall.

"I am known to everyone, as the bringer of justice. May your death pay tribute to that man who saved your pathetic lives. I wished to be his disciple, but he was taken from this world too early, because he sacrificed himself to save your lives." The figure looked down at the falling couple. "May the reaper have the mercy he refused Dimitri."

Link held Midna in his arms. He braced his muscles and waited for the impact. The cloak flew away and he saw that they were thousands of feet from the surface of the water.

He looked back from where they fell. The man was looking down on them as they fell. He had long silver hair and looked like his brother.

"Midna, I may not survive this." He said in Midna's ear. "I want you to go get Zelda and Ralis. Tell them what happened here and remember that I love you so much."

They hit the water in a flash.

Ralis heard the hawk land on the perch by the window. The window overlooked the entire castle, Castle Town, and the south lands of Hyrule. He propped himself up in the bed he shared with princess Zelda. She was still asleep, so he got up quietly and took the message from the hawk.

"From Link." Ralis reminded himself silently. He read the message, wanting him and Zelda to come to the Zora reservoir. He looked over to his sleeping lover. When she woke, he would ask her if that sounded good to her. He'd wanted to get away from the castle for a while.

Ralis sat in a chair looking out the window. He thought about what the kingdom had gone through, how it had been saved by Link and Dimitri. The brothers that were destined to save them… or destroy them…

"Ralis…?" Zelda stirred, calling out his name. He got up and went to her side. Her eyes were still as beautiful as ever as she looked up at him. She was still tired but didn't show it. "Message from Link?"

"Yes. He wishes for us to meet up with him and Midna at the Zora reservoir." Ralis said as she sat up. "I figured that you would like to take a break from your princess duties."

"That sounds great. Inform the necessary advisors and guards." Zelda rubbed her eyes. "I don't think we'll need any escorts."

"Yes, your majesty." Ralis kissed her forehead and walked from the room.

What Ralis just did reminded her of something from the past. It was the way Dimitri left her in the mornings, years ago. She pushed the thoughts away and got out of the bed. She changed from her nightgown into one of her royal dresses, bearing the symbol of the triforce.

"We have our horses ready. We may leave at any time." Ralis returned. She moved to him and put her arms around him. "Is something wrong, your majesty?"

"No. I just wanted to feel you against me." She looked up and kissed him. "I want to let go of the kingdom today."

"We can do just that." Ralis held her hand as they left the royal chambers. They walked down the stairs and into the courtyard where two gallant white horses waited for them. They saddled them and mounted up. Ralis sheathed a simple sword on his right side.

"Let's go." Zelda egged her horse into a quick gallop with Ralis following. They rode through castle town, hearing many cries from the townspeople. They really did love their princess. They pulled out of the gate and into the north fields.

They took their time in the outside world. They looked to the east and saw the reconstruction on the Bridge of Eldin. Dimitri had destroyed it, killing hundreds of Twili. Their horses stepped on rough ground, telling them they were approaching the mountainous area that led to Zora's reservoir.

When they entered the road at the bottom of the canyon, they immediately felt like they were being watched. Zelda felt eyes on them.

"We should be very careful through here." Ralis warned the princess. He looked in every direction, scouting the path.

"Yes. You should." A woman's voice rang. They stopped immediately. "You should not have come here. Your friends are already dead."

"What are you talking about?!" Zelda asked.

"Link and Midna." The voice answered. "They have been executed for their inability to save the Savior."

"What the hell do you mean?!" Ralis thundered.

"You will also be executed. You could not save him either." The voice came from a different direction. "Especially you, Ralis."

"No harm shall come to the princess." Ralis swore.

"There is nothing you can do." A silver haired man in a black cloak appeared and grabbed the reins of both horses. "Your blood will spill."

He jerked on the reins so hard, it broke both horses' necks. Their bodies crumpled to the ground, sending Ralis and Zelda down as well.

"Nothing will save you from your judgment." He stood over them. Ralis lashed out with his sword, but was shattered by a broadsword the man pulled form his back.

"Dimitri?!" They both cried, the resemblance uncanny.

"He was our Savior. He liberated us from the darkness. You let him die." The man said as a woman appeared. She had long turquoise hair and large glowing wings. Wings?!

"Your punishment is the same as the other two. Death." The man raised his sword. He smiled demonically.

The sword came down. Zelda and Ralis tensed, but felt nothing. They looked up.

"If my brother was your Savior, then that would make me sacred as well." Link held the large blade between his palms. He was badly bruised and bleeding. Midna came to Zelda and Ralis.

"Let's go." Midna stood them up and took them away from the two zealots and Link.

"Why do you look like them?" Link broke the large broadsword with his upper body strength. He threw the broken blade to the ground.

"We are their emissaries." The woman stated.

"They don't need emissaries. Dimitri is dead. I admit I wasn't able to save him. The Great Fairy is in the Gerudo Desert. I know that you are not them. Stop trying to be." Link unsheathed his sword. "I am going to kill you for this. You are ruining my brother's name."

"We are merely spreading the word of his deeds. And punishing those who don't believe… or those who helped cause his death." The man smiled once again. "You were foolish."

"I know this." Link swung at the imposter. He missed barely, but followed up with a string of attacks. The imposter evaded the blows, but did not try to counter.

"Cease your attacks!! The Savior's presence!!" The woman imposter cried. Before Link could say anything, a flash of light blinded him.

"What the hell is this?" The voice was unmistakable. "Why the hell are you doing this?"

Dimitri stood between Link and the imposters. He had his twin broadswords on his back. His silver hair was longer, to the middle of his back now, and straight. He wore a longer black cloak that covered only his back. All over his skin were markings of ancient symbols. He had a triforce on his chest where his heart was.

"My lord!!" The imposters bowed immediately. "We have been graciously awaiting your return. We did not wish to anger you."

"Why do you say these things?" Dimitri asked with no emotion. "I am no savior. I am just a lost warrior of the triforce. I need no remembrance."

"But you saved us my lord!" The imposter of the Great Fairy spoke out.

"Why do you pose as my lover?" Dimitri grew angry. He unsheathed is sword slowly. He deliberately raised the sword and struck her down. The other imposter did not flinch.

"If it is your wish to strike me down my lord, I will let you." He bowed again.

"I do not wish to take lives anymore. I only kill those demeaning to my lover. If you speak anymore blasphemy, I will kill you." Dimitri warned.

"Yes, my lord." He bowed deeper and disappeared.

"Dimitri…" Link had heard the whole conversation. "Where have you been? What do you mean by her as your lover?"

"You will know in due time, brother." Dimitri did not look at him. "It is not yet time."

"Seriously, tell me." Link grabbed his shoulder when he turned away. "Where have you been?"

"I SAID NOT NOW!" Dimitri turned on him with raging eyes. He had not sheathed his sword. "I will tell you another time. I must go to Faron to kill others like them. You may come if you wish."

"What do you mean others like him?" Ralis spoke up.

"There is a new cult that is gaining strength that is worshipping me fanatically. I don't know where they came from, or how they knew about any of the past happening." Dimitri answered. "I have been hunting them for a couple of months now."

"You haven't come to us for help?" Zelda asked.

"I did not wish for you to be involved… or know that I was still alive. I had wished to be known as dead." Dimitri adjusted his cloak over his swords. "Now I must go to Kakariko in Faron to flush out their leader."

"I'll go." Link volunteered. Ralis stepped forward.

"Same here." He nodded.

"We'll go too." Midna and Zelda declared.

"No, you two go to the castle and wait for us." Dimitri ordered. They exhaled in argument, but he silenced them with a stabbing look. "You will do as you're told."

Zelda reluctantly nodded and motioned to Midna.

"Ralis. I want you to escort them back to the castle and take care of them. Do not let anything happen to either of them while we are gone." Dimitri ordered. "Link and I will advance to Kakariko and move on the cultists."

"Ok." Ralis gathered himself. He followed the women and they were soon out of sight.

"What are you thinking right now? And what have you been thinking this past six months?" Link said to break the silence.

"That's not really important." Dimitri checked his broadswords. He was about to walk off when Link stepped in front of him.

"How do I know you're not one of those cultists yourself?" Link tensed.

"You don't, do you?" Dimitri smiled and pushed him aside.

"What have you become?" Link followed after him. "Why have you become like this?"

"I am her servant. I do what I am told to do." Dimitri answered and never looked back. "I love her and she owns my life."

"Isn't such a thing impossible?" Link watched the smooth movements of his older brother.

"Nothing is impossible. Always remember that everything is impossible in theory, until it is done." He laughed at Link's seriousness.

"Is she the one who saved your life years ago when you took me from our parents and ran?" Link asked and Dimitri stopped.

Dimitri stood in silence. He neither turned nor acknowledged the question. He put his hand to his eyes.

Link watched his brother from behind and slowly drew closer. He reached out for his brother, but Dimitri flashed from before his eyes. He felt his brother's godly arm wrapped around his neck from behind.

"Don't ever speak of that again." Dimitri constricted his sibling's neck.

"….Ok…ughhh…" Link gasped for air and Dimitri let go. Dimitri let Link fall and kept walking. It took him a minute to get his breath back.

"We're going to go through the Hyrule Plains and come around to the south of Kakariko. The pass to the north of Kakariko is heavily guarded and not worth the trouble." Dimitri outlined his plan and ignored Link's heavy breathing. "We're going to camp at the gorge until nightfall and then move in from there."

"Ok… Got it…" Link stood up and felt very dizzy. They kept walking over rough terrain in the mountains until they were able to see Hyrule Castle over the plains.

"So where have you been?" Link asked walking alongside Dimitri. He noticed Dimitri had actually gotten taller. And he had already been six foot three inches!

"I have been in the Gerudo Desert with her." Dimitri replied. "Everything had been perfect until about three months ago."

"What happened?" Link stepped over some tall patches of grass.

"A cult appeared and started killing people in my name. Saying that I was the great Savior and all this other bull shit."

"You were…" Link admitted.

"No one was supposed to know that. I wanted you to be the one who took credit, but she told me that no one would remember it and I said that was all the better." Dimitri kept his eyes forward. "They have a very powerful leader, even though I'm not sure who it is. I don't even know their gender… They're very secretive and even she can't see who they are…"

"Does the Great Fairy have a name? It sounds weird just saying she all the time…" Link asked after thinking that it would eventually get confusing.

"Not an official name. The ancient cultures used to call her Creina." Dimitri told him.

"Then let's say that, ok?" Link looked over to Dimitri.

"For your benefit, I guess so." Dimitri shrugged.

"So even Creina can't see them?" Link went back to Dimitri's earlier words. "And she's all seeing…"

"Yes. She is very omniscient…" Dimitri said without emotion.

"What have you decided to do about all this?" Link thought he knew the answer.

"I'm going to kill them. They are profane mockeries that must be disposed of." Dimitri finally smiled.

"That's pretty scary." Link shuddered involuntarily.

The brothers came to the pass leading to the northern end of the newly constructed Bridge of Eldin. They both felt danger as they walked through. Dimitri made a quick motion to Link to be ready. They edged the sides of the stone pass and looked up the slope.

"There's two coming up!!" A loud shout was heard above them. "Wash em out!!"

The ground started shaking and up ahead they saw boulders starting to roll to them. Dimitri looked over at Link and assessed the possibilities. He knew Link couldn't survive a boulder head on.

Dimitri stepped out into the middle of the passageway and sheathed his swords.

"Get behind me!" Dimitri yelled at Link, who quickly scrambled backward to him. "I'm going to stop it all!!"

"Are you crazy?" Link yelled. "Use that insane speed to dodge between them!"

"And leave you to die under an avalanche?" Dimitri wagged his finger at him. "Get ready."

The boulders caught up to them and bore down on them. Dimitri caught one as it sluggishly bounced. It was easily ten times his size. He threw it back and used its momentum to stop several rocks.

"Holy shit!" Link watched Dimitri catch one after another and throw it back; creating a wall that stopped the others from falling on them. When the dust cleared, the rocks were all pinned behind a wall of well placed rock that had been thrown back. "That… was amazing…"

"Not really, just kinda lucky…" Dimitri waved it off. He drew his swords and helped Link to his feet.

"What now?" Link drew his sword as well. Dimitri shrugged and smiled.

"This is the fun part. We kill them." Dimitri bounded over the rock barrier. "This barrier will also keep their reinforcements from coming from Lanaryu."

Dimitri and Link traversed the rocks and rubble through the pass. Halfway up the pass, arrows let loose above them. They rained down by the hundreds. They had underestimated the number of cultists here. Dimitri looked up and saw the gleam of silver hair and turquoise wings mixed together through the shadows of arrows above them.

Link raised his shield and ducked under it. Arrows pelted him as Dimitri swung his sword around his head, using the force to deflect every arrow falling on him. Dimitri took a quick mental count of the cultists in the cliffs above.

"There are at least 400 hundred of them here!" Dimitri called out to his brother who was still taking refuge under his shield. "They were anticipating something!"

"Second volley!!" A cry came over the cultists. They notched their arrows and drew back, ready to let fly. Dimitri looked over to Link and nodded. "Fire!!"

Every bow resounded with elasticity as the arrows were released. Link remained under his shield and grimaced.

"Let you know the fear of God!!" Dimitri reared back with one sword and swept every arrow out of the air with a mighty swing. With the other, he raised it above his head. "And for the right hand of God is the creator"

Dimitri's sword glowed with golden light.

"The left is the destroyer!" He brought the sword down to the ground with a crash that shook the earth beneath them. The concussion shock was so great, miles away at the Castle of Hyrule, the great foundations that stood for centuries rattled and cracked.

The ground ripped open into darkness and the cultists could not prevent themselves from falling in. Dimitri grabbed Link and a single cultist from falling to their immediate death. He threw Link to safety but dangled the cultist over the abyss.

The cultist had silver hair and was rather small. He wore the same cloak as Dimitri and wore a broadsword on his back.

"My God!" He exclaimed after seeing Dimitri up close. "You're him!! The Savior! We are the faithful!"

"I can see that." Dimitri couldn't have cared less. "Who is your leader?"

"You are, my Savior!" His eyes gleamed.

"Who is the leader of my faithful?" Dimitri tried to be more specific. "Who has taught you of my ways?"

"Your most faithful servant." He said as if Dimitri knew who it was supposed to be.

"Refresh my memory. I have many faithful servants." Dimitri was growing impatient.

"The Lady Gaia." He said.

"Where can I find her?" Dimitri was contemplating dropping him already.

"In Kakariko. With the council of the Savior." He finished.

"Now we're getting somewhere… How many are in this 'council?'" Dimitri smiled.

"There are three, with Lady Gaia as the faith leader." The cultist had not struggled one bit.

"And all of them are in Kakariko?" Dimitri clarified.

"No, my Savior. Lady Gaia is in Kakariko until tomorrow. She will be leaving for peak province at dawn. Lord Terra is in Ordon for the next two weeks. Lord Cotta is presiding over matters at Lake Hylia. And Lord Peccavi is in the Gerudo Desert, on a pilgrimage to the Cave of Ordeals… searching for you and Her Holiness." The man rattled.

"You got that Link?" Dimitri looked back and Link nodded. "Your work be done my faithful servant."

"Thank you, my Savior!" He closed his eyes.

"I no longer need you. You may meet me in the afterlife if you are worthy." Dimitri let go and smiled to himself. The man fell quietly, not thrashing or screaming, merely accepting his fate. "They truly believe I am a god."

"Aren't you?" Link asked.

"Very far from it." Dimitri sheathed his swords and continued down the path to the Bridge of Eldin.

"You may as well be one with that kind of strength." Link followed his brother while plucking arrows from his shield.

"I am closer to a demon." Dimitri said with a slight air of humor.

"Touché brother…" Link let it go.

"We have to get to Kakariko before damn and stop this 'Lady Gaia' from getting away. She's the leader, so we'll take care of her first and weaken their spirit and command." Dimitri planned out loud for Link to hear.

"Do you even need me?" Link questioned.

"I might, and I don't like to take chances." Dimitri said simply. The bridge came into view and they could see the workers repairing it.

"Hey look. It's Link!" One of the workers on one of the stone supports crowed as they came nearer. The workers flocked to the Hero of Time.

Dimitri ignored the crowd and walked out onto the freshly laid stone of the bridge. He gazed out into the abyss. He could see the new 'tributary' he had created that led into the darkness. The bridge itself showed some signs of being rattled by the quake Dimitri sent through the ground earlier.

He sighed and sat on the edge, swinging his powerful legs over the side. His mind raced with thoughts from his past. He couldn't stand them anymore. He had thought of taking his life before, but now he had her— Creina, as Link called her. She had made him immortal and owned his heart.

He never thought about his past when he was with her, because time stood still as they were together. And he knew that nothing could ever take her from him. But something he could never understand was his possession of the triforce.

He bore the triforce of power and had now become immortal. There was something wrong with that. To each generation, the triforce would be passed on and the pure of heart would use it to help Hyrule prosper. He couldn't die and pass it on. It was a curse to him now. He controlled so many peoples' fates.

"Hey, Dimitri." Link snapped Dimitri back to reality. "Are you ok?"

"I'm never ok." Dimitri admitted. "Unless I'm with her."

"I'm sorry brother." Link sat beside him. "Want to talk about it?"

"We don't have time." Dimitri stood up and moved down the bridge.

"Fine." Link followed him and they crossed the bridge. There was a great expansive plain in front of them.

"We won't make Kakariko from the south by dawn. There is no way." Dimitri shook his head. He looked up and judged the time to be about two hours before dark. "We'll come from the north."

"Got it." Link would follow his brother anywhere.

"I know what Dimitri will do." Ralis said as he sat across the table from Midna and Zelda. "He'll try to move on Kakariko and capture or kill their leader."

"Ralis? Why didn't we see any of this activity?" Zelda asked, puzzled. "Surely we would have seen something this big brewing…"

"I hadn't noticed anything either." Midna sat back, wondering where Link was.

"They're very good at hiding things… I'm not even sure if Dimitri knows anything." Ralis thought about anything he could have overlooked.

Thoughts started churning in Zelda's thoughts. She remembered what she had felt for Dimitri, the way he had severed her loyally. She remembered the feeling of his muscular, scarred body against her slight, delicate frame. His tanned and rough skin against her smooth and pale skin. Her memories came rushing back, moving her relationship with Ralis aside. She realized that she still wanted him as her own.

Zelda said as she came to this startling revelation. She stood and walked to the window. She gazed out while Midna and Ralis discussed possible things they could do to help Dimitri and Link.

_Where are you, Demi? What are you going to do? _Zelda zoned out, remember what had been in the past. _I thought of you were dead. Why have you been gone this whole time?_

"Lady Zelda? Are you alright?" Midna asked from behind her.

"I'm fine." She said, not once moving her eyes from the horizon. "I don't know what we're going to do."

_I don't know what I am going to do… _Zelda thought as she finally turned around and looked at the other two in the room.

"We need to make our move first." Ralis said suddenly. He got up and put his arms around Zelda. "I want you to stay here with Midna. I'm going to go find Dimitri and Link."

"Ok…" Zelda didn't resist. Ralis held her close, and yet at the same time, became more distant to Zelda. Her mind reeled.

"I'll be gone for a while… most likely until this whole thing is cleared up." Ralis put a sword in his belt. "Midna, please take care of the princess."

"I will." Midna promised. Ralis left the room and told the guards to protect them until he returned. "Princess… what is wrong? I can see it in your eyes…"

"It's nothing." Zelda fell onto her bed. Midna pulled a chair beside the bed and looked her over.

"Are you sick?" She asked.

"You could say that…" Zelda thought about it.

"What is it princess? You can tell me anything. I would never tell anyone." Midna reasoned with her.

"I don't feel like talking about it." Zelda rolled over. "It wouldn't matter anyway."

"Princess… just tell me." Midna commanded softly.

"It's Dimitri… I still love him." Zelda confessed. "I want him with me right now… I would give anything for him to be mine again."

"I don't know what to tell you, Zelda." Midna tried to comfort her.

"It hurts…" Zelda felt a tear travel down her cheek. "I love him so much, and he's been gone so long. I've yearned for him beside me…"

"What about Ralis?" Midna saw where this could lead.

"I love him as well, but not as much as Dimitri… I'm not sure if I could ever feel the same about Ralis as I feel about Dimitri…" Zelda let more tears fall. "He taught me everything… He taught me how to live… To rule… To love…"

"We all have someone like that." Midna stroked her hair. "And we rarely ever get to keep them…"

"But you still have Link…" Zelda rolled over and looked at Midna.

"And I am extremely lucky." Midna wiped a tear away from Zelda's beautiful blue eyes. "I wish you could have kept him… but there is always a reason for everything."

"Did I do something wrong?" Zelda questioned to no one in particular.

"You did something right." Midna answered. "You gave him up…"

"I didn't want to…" Zelda sobbed. She buried her face in her pillow and eventually sobbed herself to sleep. Midna sighed and stroked her hair.

"The world isn't fair, but that's when you have to go with it and let it be." Midna spoke quietly.

Midna relaxed and dozed off in her chair. She awoke when she heard a knock on the door. She went to the door and opened it. In the doorway stood Dimitri. His two broadswords scraped the threshold as he stepped through.

"Dimitri? I thought you were going to deal with the cultists." She started. Dimitri went immediately to Zelda's side and got on his knees.

"I came to see the princess… I have missed her very much these past six months." He looked over the sleeping princess.

"Where are Link and Ralis?" Midna asked from behind him.

"They're in Kakariko, securing the area. Their leader had already left." Dimitri stayed by her side.

"So what are we going to do now?" Midna went to the window. She looked out as it was beginning to get dark. She waited to see the soldiers light the braziers and illuminate the grounds, but no flame was seen. "Where are the flames? It's getting dark…"

"They looked busy when I came up." Dimitri explained. "I believe they suspect cultists in the area. I am about to go hunt them myself, but I was hoping to see Zelda first."

"Please Dimitri; you may go to do it. I will watch the princess while she sleeps." Midna said as Dimitri stood up and turned to her.

"Thank you Midna." Dimitri smiled and stepped toward her. "Link is lucky to have you."

Before Midna could respond, Dimitri lunged into her stomach, knocking her out. Right before she lost consciousness, she realized that he didn't have the triforce mark over his heart. He was a fake.

Ralis had ridden hard for over two hours. He himself was sweating with a mixture of anticipation and worry. He didn't know how it was going to turn out. If Dimitri had risen from his sanctuary, there must be a great threat.

As the wind blew his moist Zora hide, he felt the dread rising. He hadn't been in water for nearly a month. It was very risky for a Zora to stay out of water for too long. He had neglected it for too long and had planned to take care of it when they went to Lake Hylia, and visited his mother's grave.

His chest began to ache with resonant memories of all that had happened the past two years. His mother dying, he himself being infected with Twili influence and becoming the greatest Twili warrior, and suffering defeat at the hands of his former student Dimitri. His student who had come to bear the triforce of power from Ganon. His student who had become the lover of the Great Fairy of Hyrule.

He could feel the place in his chest where Dimitri had impaled him on the holy light of the master sword and his claymores fused together. Even though the Great Fairy had forgiven him and his trespasses… He still felt the hole in his being.

He shook the thoughts away and focused back on the matter at hand. He would worry about all that nonsense later. His white horse brought him to the gate at the southern end of Kakariko Village. It was locked and seemed to be barricaded. Dimitri and Link hadn't been here yet.

"Go home Ralis." A voice declared.

"Who's there?" Ralis inquired. "And how do you know who I am?"

"Who doesn't know the Zora prince and personal body guard to the Princess Zelda?" It was a voice he knew he had heard before, but couldn't remember when or where. "Why have you come here? We have done nothing wrong."

"Then why do you insist that I go home?" Ralis inched closer to the gate. "If you have done nothing wrong, then I should be more than welcome to come and see for myself."

"I believe you are needed elsewhere." He felt that it was a woman's voice. "I believe you should return to the castle."

"And why do you say that?" Ralis looked over his shoulder to the shadow of the castle in the distance. "Do you know something that I don't? Or something that you shouldn't?"

"No, I only know that whatever happens in the next 24 hours will be decided by you." She said with cold precision.

"Why? Why should it be up to me?" Ralis thought about Dimitri, the one with the real power to stop this nonsense.

"Because Dimitri is but a weak pawn. Dimitri and Link will be powerless with our next move. You are the only one who has the ability to make decisions that may endanger lives." She laughed. "You've had experience gambling lives, and losing them. Why should this be any different? With our next move, we eclipse Dimitri and Link and keep them at bay with, let's say, more than underhanded tactics. But, dwelling on one's weakness is another's strength, correct… high tactician of Hyrule?"

"Enough. I won't stand here and listen to this stalling." Ralis drew his sword. "If you want to let me by, then do so. If not, come out here and face me. I will not hesitate to cut down anyone who stands before me."

"Very eager to prove your loyalty to Hyrule after that travesty six months ago?" The voice grew closer. It grew silent and Ralis kept an eye for anything that moved. He then felt breathing on his neck. "So are we."

The voice came from behind him and he turned to face it. Before he could see the woman, his body became paralyzed and his sight disappeared. He could hear everything but saw nothing.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise ending for you." She ran her hand down the side of Ralis' smooth face. "There is so much we need you for. You are much more instrumental to our plan than Dimitri ever would be. We want your experience with the darkness. You could lead again and win this time over Dimitri, the Holy Emissary of the Triforce."

"Let me go." Ralis grunted, his lungs beginning to tighten due to the paralysis.

"I can't do that, little prince." She taunted and ran her hand down his body, admiring the muscles of the Zora leader. "Your cooperation is mandatory. I'm sorry, but you will enjoy the darkness once it has you in its clutches once again."

"I said let go of me damn it!!" Ralis said before the paralysis squeezed the last breath from his body. He fell face first into the hard dirt.

"What do you say, Ralis? How about it? I know you don't want to die here… and I know you want to be with Zelda again." The woman was about to play her trump card. "Even though she wants Dimitri again."

"What?!" Ralis clung for life.

"When Dimitri returned, it awakened the memories Zelda had with him and the feelings she had. They've returned to her and she is lovesick for him… She has cast you aside and wishes to have Dimitri again." She picked Ralis off the ground. "You will be able to take her back once Dimitri is gone and you have shown her that memories aren't everything."

Ralis fought within himself for air and in his mind over what he truly believed. He didn't think she could be making this up. This was too elaborate. And she had power he had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Ralis gasped.

"I go by 'The Lady Gaia' if you please." She could feel her power over him growing. "What do you say, Twili general?"

"I will do what I have to do to take Zelda back." Ralis felt the darkness that was sealed away in him be unlocked. The greatest power, even stronger than Ganon, lie within his being, ready to kill. "And Dimitri will pay for what he did to me six months ago."

Dimitri and Link made it to the edge of the great plane. The sun was starting to go down and Dimitri judged it was going to be about 9 hours of darkness. They were only an hour from Kakariko now and could easily take care of the problems there.

"What is going through your mind?" Link asked, close behind his older brother.

"Aren't you as curious as ever? What do you think is going through my mind?" Dimitri looked back and smiled. He also saw that Link was extremely fatigued and need to rest. He spotted some very tall cliffs that had vines on them. He would set up camp up there and use the vines for a fire. "What say we set up a place to sleep for a couple hours?"

"If you want to…" Link breathed heavily. Link climbed the vines with a slight stagger. When Link had made it up the vines, which were easily ten stories high, Dimitri tensed his leg muscles and jumped up to the cliff.

"Show off." Link pulled some vines over the edge and coiled them up. He was about to use an arrow head and his sword as flint, but Dimitri stopped him. He waved his hand over the vines and they ignited in golden flame. "You have to be able to do everything, don't you?"

"Yes. I do." Dimitri nodded. He showed no sarcasm either. "They are part of being the Holy Emissary…"

"What is Creina doing while you are gone?" Link wondered.

"She's watching over me, protecting me and making sure I do nothing to skew the balance of Light in Hyrule." Dimitri removed his cloak and spread it on the ground. He lay down on it and look up at the stars.

"I wish I had a guardian angel…" Link shrugged.

"You do, you just haven't realized who it is yet." Dimitri closed his eyes. "It may be someone completely unexpected…"

"Like who?" Link looked over at Dimitri.

"I really have no idea." Dimitri admitted.

"Uh-huh…" Link exhaled. They lay in silence for a couple minutes. Link turned back to Dimitri. "What really happened when you fought Ralis?"

"Nothing really. He let the darkness take over… his undoing…" Dimitri watched the whole fight replay in his mind. "It was a hard fought battle. He was probably on par with Ganon for strength and power. I thought for a while I was going to die at his hand."

"Then what happened?" Link listened intently.

"I called upon the Holy Emissary to lend me its power, in exchange of my life. I had to defeat Ralis, no matter what, no matter the cost." Dimitri continued. "After I had banished Ralis to the sacred realm, the reaper came for my life… but she stopped the reaper and said that my life was now hers. The reaper simply left and I was endowed by the Great Fairy as the Holy Emissary of the triforce. She granted me immortality at her side."

"Wow…" Link was nearly speechless.

"I guess…" Dimitri left his eyes closed.

"Makes my adventures pale in comparison…" Link shook it off.

"Not really. You have fought more than I have." Dimitri reassured him.

"But you fought the Goron Elders, Darbus, Ralis, and those other Twili… not to mention the hordes of the dead controlled by Liggs…" Link compared their service records. "That's before factoring up your time as Zelda's bodyguard and head knight of Hyrule."

"That doesn't count anymore." Dimitri waved it off and turned away from the fire.

"Why not?" Link sat up.

"It just doesn't! I left that all behind for a reason." Dimitri raised his voice slightly. "I faked my death by falling off the falls at Lake Hylia almost four years ago. I did that to be free of servitude. I loved Zelda, but I would never serve this kingdom as the head knight."

"You know, there is irony to this." Link pointed out. "You would never serve this kingdom as the head knight, and yet you are now the Holy Emissary of the triforce. You are the chief protector of this land."

"You are mistaken, brother." Dimitri rolled back to look at Link. "I am the chief protector of the Great Fairy and the triforce, not Hyrule. I've always hated this land."

"And why do you hate it?" Link didn't see his reason.

"Because of the hell I went through before I left this country…" Dimitri had never spoken of this before. "Because of our parents…"

"So you blame all of Hyrule for what happened to us?" Link scoffed.

"No, I blame all of Hyrule for what happened to me. You have no idea what has happened since I left you in Ordon with Rusl and Bo. They took you into the village and I left for Kakariko to find our parents." Dimitri began. "You were too young to remember anything and I told Rusl and Bo to never tell you about me. I still wish you had never learned of me and none of this ever would have happened."

"We both know that what happened was inevitable." Link tried to comfort Dimitri. "Ralis would have done the same thing whether you were involved or not. I don't think we could have defeated him without you…"

"That's not important." Dimitri declared.

"The hell it isn't!" Link snorted. "We'd all be up to our neck in Twilit if you hadn't saved us all."

"Whatever. I'm sure you could have done it." Dimitri had always been humble.

"Plus you wouldn't have been reunited with the Great Fairy…" Link reminded him. "Tell me that didn't work out for the better."

"Shut up. Go to sleep." Dimitri barked over the fire.

"You know I'm right." Link lay on his back again.

Link soon fell asleep and Dimitri lay awake, remembering those years ago. He tried his hardest to shake the images from his head but they lingered in his mind.

_Can you hear me? _Dimitri thought, hoping she would hear him from this far away.

_Yes, Demi. I hear you. And I hear your soul crying in pain. _Her voice was so soothing to his mind. It was like being in a spring of pure innocence. _Why are you in pain?_

_I keep thinking of what happened with my parents. It won't leave my mind. I wish you were here with me, to hold me. And I want you in my arms, just knowing you're there. _Dimitri pleaded with pain in his heart.

_I will be there soon Demi. I am expecting a pilgrim here soon. _Her voice felt like anesthesia to his bleeding heart.

_A pilgrim? Out that far in the desert? _Dimitri wondered.

_Yes, he has committed himself fully, and when he arrives, he will be rewarded. _She confirmed.

_Only two people have ever made it to you… Myself and Link… _Dimitri thought about it. _And you expect him to make it?_

_I do. I believe he has the heart and faith. _She responded.

Something clicked in his mind. Peccavi was going into the desert to find him and the Great Fairy. That was the only pilgrim possible, especially able to make it to the Cave of Ordeals. It was possible he was going to kill them, but assured himself that it wasn't possible now. What would his motive be then?

_Be very careful around him. He may try something. _Dimitri warned. _And I love you so much…_

_And I love you more than all else. _She resounded. _I see him on the horizon. I will be weary of him, Demi. I promise. But I must go now. May you have the luck of Hyrule in your journey._

_Thank you. _Dimitri sat up and looked over at his brother. He was still sleeping soundly. He was about to wake him when a shudder went down his spine. A shudder that rattled him to the core. Something big had just happened, something catastrophic.

"Link, wake up!" Dimitri felt a sense of urgency. Link blinked the sleep from his eyes. "Something just happened!"

"What?" Link could see fear in his brother's eyes, the first time he'd ever seen it. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, but it was bad." Dimitri used his mind's strength and scanned the entire country of Hyrule. Several things were wrong. He sensed the awakening of a great darkness and he could no longer sense the Great Fairy in the Gerudo desert. He also detected that Zelda, Midna, and Ralis were missing from Hyrule Castle. "There's been a huge power shift."

"What do you mean by that?" Link couldn't make sense of his brother's speech. "What do you mean by 'power shift'?"

"The Great Fairy is missing from the desert; Zelda, Midna, and Ralis are no longer at Hyrule Castle, and something terrifying in power has awakened." Dimitri knew that greater powers were at work. "This is not the work of some radical cultists. There is no way."

"They made a power play and seized every variable at once." Link put it in terms he could understand. "This IS bad…"

"Tell me about it. We have to move now!" Dimitri reequipped his swords. "We have to take Kakariko now!"

"Got it." Link could feel the tension in the air. If Dimitri was spooked, this was a real threat.

Both of them effortlessly cleared the cliff and hit the ground running. Up ahead, they saw the gate being guarded by cultists that looked exactly like Dimitri. When the two brothers grew nearer, the cultists drew their swords and readied themselves.

"Move." Dimitri ordered simply and ran past them. Link was behind him and noticed the look-alikes had listened to him. But as he was running past them, he felt blood splatter on him. He saw their decapitated bodies fall to the ground and blood go everywhere.

What power and speed Dimitri commanded!! Link had never seen such power. He had grown even stronger since defeating Ralis.

Dimitri cut the gate in half with a single motion of his sword. He burst through and immediately converged into a battle with more cultists. Link ran to join him and he noticed that there were thousands here. They all commenced to fighting the two assailants of the village.

"Just kill all of them! I don't care if you know them or not, they die!" Dimitri bellowed a death sentence as he impaled a cultist. He threw the body into several others joining the brawl.

Dimitri and Link piled the bodies and fought until they were coated in blood. More kept coming, almost no end could be seen. Dimitri was letting more and more power bleed through his limitations and was now killing ten or more with every swing while Link took two at the most.

Finally, cultists stopped surging into the fight, and the last one fell under Dimitri's sword. Over a thousand bodies lay on the ground. As they died, the cultists reverted back to what they had originally looked like. They no longer looked like Dimitri and the Great Fairy.

"Well done, Holy Emissary." A voice rang out from the building built into the wall overlooking the village, the post where they watch for threats. "You dispatched them with absolutely no value of human life."

"That's what I came here to do." Dimitri looked up to the source of the voice. It was too high, even for his eyes. "Come down here. Right now."

"I'd rather not. I have somewhere to be right now." He heard the voice carry out more sound and realized it was a woman's voice.

"Are you Lady Gaia?!" Link called out to the woman.

"Yes. I am. And don't worry, I know who both of you are. Don't waste my time telling me who you are." She had a strange presence. A shadow appeared and wrapped around her. "I hope to see you again soon, Dimitri. I hope you will meet me in Peak Province in the next couple of days. I just hope you leave your little brother home this time. He'll slow you down."

"Get down here!" Dimitri ordered again.

"Send Link to Ordon." Lady Gaia responded with an order of her own. "Send him now, and I will gladly comply with your request."

"Why?" Link asked. Dimitri raised his hand to steady Link. "What, brother?"

"Something is happening in Ordon. I can feel it. Go there and eliminate the threat." Dimitri spoke quietly over his shoulder. "I'm not sure what is going to happen here, but I want you to find the one they call Lord Terra and kill him. I'll send for you when I need you."

"Are you sure?" Link sheathed his sword.

"Yes. Everything will be fine." Dimitri smiled. "Just go."

"Ok. Be careful." Link turned and left the village from the south.

"Now come down here." Dimitri ordered once Link had left.

"I'm coming." Her voice came from behind him. He tried to turn but he became paralyzed and lost his vision. In the confusion, he fell on his back, unable to move. "Awww…. Demi fall down."

"Shut up and let me out of this." Dimitri grit his teeth. He could feel the air being pressed out of his lungs.

"I'm sorry, Savior. But you do not make the rules anymore." Her voice was strangely familiar. He felt her pick him up and hold him straight. She pressed against his back and wasn't quite tall enough to reach his ear. "You should remember who I am… I feel slightly hurt that you don't remember me."

"Give me a hint." The effect on his lungs was starting to lessen.

"I gave you my life…" She whispered and then kissed his back.

"When?" Dimitri felt a sense of dread rising.

"Come now, Demi. I gave you my life to bring you to the Twili realm…" She whispered again. "I can't believe you forgot about me."

"Ashei?!" He gained his sight back and was released from the paralysis. He turned around and found the woman who had given her life for him to travel to the Twili realm and battle Ralis. "What are you doing here?"

"I was given a second chance to live pure." She wrapped her arms around him. She wore a long black cloak like his, but adjusted to her height. She had her signature sword at her waist and wore her old chain mail under it all. "You gave me that chance… you and the Great Fairy. When I was sacrificed for that mirror to transport you, I was sent to a different realm. One of no scale of light or dark."

"What are you talking about?" Dimitri stood aghast.

"We were revived. Rusl, Auru, Shad, and myself. We were given another chance." Ashei pressed into Dimitri's chest. "We knew it was your doing. We knew you had become a God at the side of the Great Fairy… So we came to worship you."

"Which was very foolish." Dimitri put his hands on Ashei's shoulders. "Then that means Lord Terra is Rusl, Lord Cotta is Auru, and Lord Peccavi is Shad. I should have noticed something…"

"It's ok, Demi. We didn't want you to know just yet…" Ashei separated reluctantly from Dimitri. "We were waiting until the word was spread of your heroism…"

"It would have been much better if you had said nothing and went back to the life you once had." Dimitri explained.

"The life I once had was an abusive father until I joined the resistance. And once Link defeated Ganon, there was no need for us. Then Link and Zelda called us together to discuss weird phenomena six months ago." Ashei began. "And when you came in, I was asleep… I didn't like you at the beginning, but then I realized how great you really were and still are. It was wrong of me to lash out like that at you."

"It's fine. That is in the past." Dimitri looked around.

"And when you saved me at the Arbiter's Grounds… I was already dead, but you still fought." Her eyes began to well with tears. "But I knew that I should have died. So the only thing I could give you then was my life…"

"And I thank you so much for it… I was able to quell the darkness." Dimitri examined their surroundings. The bodies were laying everywhere.

"And I'm glad you succeeded. I wanted to come back and see you right away, but I learned that you took the Great Fairy as your lover and became immortal." Ashei let a tear from each eye fall. "And I was jealous…"

"I don't see what you're jealous of, Ashei." Dimitri smiled, trying to cheer her up. "I'm just a battle scarred man who serves his Goddess."

"And yet you bear the triforce of power… and have become the Holy Emissary of the triforce." She looked into his eyes. "You hold Hyrule's fate in your hands."

"And what is to be jealous of there?" Dimitri let his feelings show. "Hyrule is not worth protecting anymore…"

"Why do you say that?" Ashei inquired.

"I've watched this land degrade for years. It will become nothing but sand and dust, just like the Gerudo Desert." Dimitri said with disgust. "And hopefully I will not have to protect it anymore."

"What happened to make you think such things?" Ashei looked to the ground.

"Something that happened long before any of this happened… I've just been thinking about it more here lately." Dimitri wrung his head. "And I'd rather not talk about it."

"You are what I want, Demi." Ashei drew closer to Dimitri.

"What?" Dimitri felt a blow from behind. He started to blackout and saw Ashei bent down over him.

"You could have killed him!!" She cried.

"I know he'll live from something like that." A deep voice pierced the darkness clouding his vision. "He's the Holy Emissary, remember?"

Zelda woke up in a small bed. She remembered what Dimitri had taught her. 'Examining your surroundings could make the difference of saving your life.' She looked around without moving her head. No one else was in the room. She couldn't tell where she was. There were no windows.

"Glad you're awake, Princess." Ralis came in though the only door. She sat up and Ralis pulled up a chair beside the bed.

"Where are we?" Zelda looked around again."

"We're in Kakariko." He replied. "I brought you here because the castle was raided. I… have not been able to find Midna…"

"What? How did all this happen?" Zelda couldn't see how it could have happened. Everything had been so peaceful. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days." Ralis looked back to the door and Dimitri walked in. "How does it look?"

"Not good." Dimitri pulled a chair beside Ralis'. "We lost them at Kakariko. They left me laying there in the street… I don't remember anything about what happened…"

"As long as you're ok…" Zelda longed to feel him against her again, but Ralis was right beside them.

"I don't even know who knocked me out…" Dimitri shrugged. "When I catch them and that Lady Gaia, I'm going to kill them."

"They're no longer here so I don't know what is going on or where they went." Ralis rubbed his forehead. "I'll be back. I'm going to head up the mountain to speak with the new Goron tribe leader. I will be back later. You can rest here, Dimitri, while I am gone."

"Thanks, Ralis." Dimitri smiled at him. Ralis stood up and left. As soon as Ralis was out the door, Zelda flung herself onto Dimitri.

"Why did you leave, Demi?" She pressed against him.

"I had to." Dimitri put his arms around her gently. "I'm sorry for the pain I caused but I had to go. I couldn't be your knight anymore. I have become the knight of the Great Fairy. I serve her and protect her."

"Please Demi, come back to me… You don't have to be my knight either." Zelda pleaded. "Just come back and love me like you used to!"

"I can't. I love the Great Fairy now. I am loyal and always at her side. I will not leave her." Dimitri squeezed Zelda slightly. "I left you behind, and you have done well. You are the Princess of Hyrule, and have Ralis, the prince of Zoras as your head knight and bodyguard. He's a brilliant tactician and great lover for you. I can read it in his eyes."

"But he's nothing compared to what you were. You were smarter, stronger, and showed me how to love someone correctly… You opened my heart. No offence to Ralis… but you're so much better than him at everything…"

"No. I am not better than Ralis. His sense of duty is greater than anything I'll ever have… and his loyalty will never stray from you." Dimitri explained and raised Zelda's eyes to look into his own. "Now listen to me, my dear Requiem."

"I'm listening, Demi." Zelda remembered when they first made love, Dimitri had called her his little Requiem, an escape from the harsh reality he was bound to.

"I'm no longer the man you desire." Dimitri searched her soul through her eyes. "But there is still love in my heart for you. And nothing will change that… except we will never be together again. I'm sorry, Requiem."

Zelda said nothing, then lifted herself up and pressed her lips against his. They shared a last long passionate kiss, and she knew; it would in fact be the last time she felt his body against hers, the last time she would taste him. It would be the last time, even for a second, he would be hers.

Ralis knew what would happen as soon as he left the tent, but that's what he was counting on. He laughed to himself as his plan had worked. The Dimitri in there with Zelda was another fake, except a perfect replication with access to his memories as well. He would draw on these memories to manipulate her.

"Is it working?" A woman's voice asked from above him.

"I believe so. She's falling for it." Ralis looked through the wall and sensed they were very close indeed.

"Then our first move has succeeded. We took Hyrule Castle, captured the Great Fairy, Dimitri, Midna, and are now manipulating Zelda rather well." Ashei jumped down to Ralis and laughed.

"And Link is headed in Rusl's direction, correct?" Ralis asked.

"I think so. He was told by Dimitri to go to Ordon and wait there until he sent for him. I'm not sure how he's going to do that now…" Ashei half smiled. "Oh well. I know Rusl will complete his mission. Everyone in Ordon believes he never died anyway. I know everything will be ok."

"Still, you know how strong Link is. Even if he's not as strong as Dimitri, he still killed Ganon." Ralis warned.

"Shut up!" Ashei lashed out. "Rusl will take care of it."

"Fine. I won't say another word on the matter." Ralis made sure not to anger her. She was the one with the entire plan. None of the others knew all of it, only their parts. Ralis was itching to pry it out of her, but he didn't think he would be able to do it yet. The darkness flowing through his veins was still gathering its strength back from being sealed for so long.

"As long as you keep your eye on Dimitri. He could fuck up this whole plan." Ashei remarked. "You're the only one close enough to being able to stop him."

"Are you sure you can't do it yourself?" Ralis tested her.

"You know I don't have near enough power to stop the 'Holy Emissary'." Ashei spat. "All I can do is blind and paralyze. That serves me just well."

"Yes ma'am." Ralis said with extra sarcasm. "I'm going to Lake Hylia. I want to see if Auru has completed his little ritual bull shit."

"If he hasn't produced anything, tell him to just quit. It's a waste of time anyway." Ashei said as Ralis mounted a horse. He galloped off to the west. "Have fun, Ralis. We're going to need you."

Ashei kept herself from laughing and walked up the path toward Death Mountain.

_What a dumb ass name for a mountain. _Ashei thought as she scaled the steep slopes and avoided rockslides with ease. She came to a cliff that led up to where the Gorons lived. She jumped it and landed beside several Gorons.

"Lady Gaia!" The Gorons bowed to her. "He has woken up."

"Good. Has he said anything?" Ashei asked as they led her even farther up the mountain. They went through large metal bulkheads and large caverns, leading even farther into the sweltering volcano.

"Only that he will kill all of us." The lead Goron answered. "But he has had no luck of breaking free in the slightest bit."

"He should know better than to tempt me." Ashei smiled to herself. It took all of the Gorons to twist back the last bulkhead, leading into a room with six pillars. In the middle of all the pillars, the real Dimitri hung, bound with very thick chains around each arm, ankle, his neck, and waist. "You finally wake up, Demi?"

"Don't call me that." Dimitri said coldly.

"Why not? Because that's what the Great Fairy calls you? And that's what Zelda used to call you?" Ashei stood in front of him and egged him on.

"What is in this room?" Dimitri looked around.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Ashei smirked.

"I do." Dimitri leaned back on the chains that bound him.

"They say the ghosts of Darbus, and his four elders reside here. In all their Twili glory." Ashei walked around Dimitri and looked his chains over. "Couldn't you feel the stifling darkness in here?"

"I felt it the second I regained consciousness." Dimitri looked over at the Gorons who kept their distance from him. They knew what had happened six months ago. They had all been turned into Twili and had seen what he had done to Darbus and the elders. He could smell the fear.

"Well, to put it simply… They're pissed and want to see you die. But they can't due anything physically so they use their Twili essence and seal your powers while you are in here. That way we can hold you and not be a problem. Each chain with its corresponding pillar represents one of them." Ashei looked at the symbols on the pillars.

"That leaves one extra pillar." Dimitri kept his eyes on the Gorons, who began to grow scared of his piercing gaze.

"Eh, mostly for show." Ashei snickered. She turned back around. "But I'm sure you can guess what we've done by now."

"You made a power move." Dimitri finally moved his eyes. "You took several variables out at once."

"Do you know which variables I took?" Ashei stood behind him.

"By the way you're acting, all but one or two." Dimitri read her voice. "I think you are missing a piece, or else you wouldn't come and taunt me."

"You are very clever. Everything you're cracked up to be and more." Ashei put her hands on the shackle around his neck. "But think. What piece did we miss? Do you know?"

"As much as I can't believe it, I know you captured Her." Dimitri knew Ashei knew who he was talking about.

"We did. More easily than previously thought." She breathed on his neck.

"And I'm sure you grabbed Zelda, Midna, and Ralis from Hyrule Castle." Dimitri reviewed the feeling he got before they charged Kakariko. "You haven't captured my brother."

"Amazing Demi." Ashei was genuinely surprised how easily Dimitri assessed the situation under pressure and analyzed the tone of her voice to know exactly what was going on. "You really are a God now."

"I am no God. More along the lines of a demon with a master!!" Dimitri jerked on every chain at once. The pillars quaked but were not fazed. The entire mountain had absorbed the shock and redistributed it elsewhere. "Very good design…"

"Yes. We created it this way." Ashei smiled and came around to face Dimitri. She looked back at the Gorons. "Leave us! And if anyone comes looking for me, I am busy."

"Umm… yes ma'am." The Gorons looked wearily at Dimitri and then left rather quickly. They sealed the bulkhead behind them and left the two in almost complete darkness.

"How long have you been planning this?" Dimitri saw the glow of a Twili in Ashei's eyes.

"Since I was given another chance." Ashei sat down in front of him.

"As a Twili? Why? Don't you realize that the Twili realm is now sealed by the Holy Light?" Dimitri didn't understand her reasons.

"Because there was no other way for us to return…" Ashei shifted her eyes from Dimitri's. "And I needed to come back."

"All four of you fought against the Twili, choosing to die rather than change sides… and now you are all Twili?" Dimitri felt disgusted.

"I'm sorry Demi… But there was no other way…" She felt Dimitri's hate growing.

"I said stop calling me that." Dimitri ordered. Ashei flinched at his command.

"I'm sorry Dimitri." She cried. She stood and turned around. "You don't even know the reasons why we turned!"

"No, I don't and I don't care at this point!! You betrayed the people you defended and you betrayed yourselves!!" Dimitri yelled, pulling at the chains.

"You have nothing else better to do right now, so you're going to listen!! It may not change your mind on how you see us, but then you'll realize why we did it!!" Ashei screamed back.

Dimitri sat quietly, somehow silenced by her outcry.

"Auru turned so he could teach his son, Shad, more about life. Shad turned so he could learn more and hopefully have a family of his own someday. Rusl turned because he has a wife who just had a second son. They couldn't make it without him."

Dimitri listened and his rage slightly lessened, seeing her sincerity. He understood why they turned, but didn't see why they were doing what they were doing now.

"And why did you turn?" Dimitri asked, and watched as Ashei turned back to him.

"Two reasons." She walked back to him. "One. I killed my father in Peak Province…"

"………" Dimitri cast a look of shame on her.

"I know I can't justify it…" She hung her head.

"It's fine. I also killed my father. I am no better than you." Dimitri averted his eyes to the rock ceiling above him. "What was your other reason?"

"I came back to see you…" She said, letting a tear fall. "I wanted to thank you for forgiving me for what all I did… and ending my life when I had been revived against my will. I wanted to thank you for looking past the front I put up."

"I'm not a fan of facades." Dimitri told her. "But I am not worth anything anymore."

"Why do you say that?" Ashei remembered him saying this earlier. "I meant what I said before you blacked out."

"You mean when someone knocked me out?" Dimitri bit her with his words.

"I'm sorry, but we had to." She begged forgiveness with her eyes aglow with Twili flame.

"No matter. I will ask you to release me one time. And then I will be forced to try and break out of here, killing everything in my way." Dimitri cautioned.

"I can't Dimitri." Ashei gave him a forlorn and sincere look. "I wish I could take you for myself and we could just leave, but they won't let me… and your heart is already taken."

"Yes, it is." Dimitri restated. "Now then. I will not hold back. If you wish for your life to be spared, I must ask you to leave now."

"But I can't." Ashei repeated.

"Then I will not regret what I am about to do." Dimitri braced his body and brought each arm the opposite direction with all his strength. The quick motion tipped the pillars on one end. Dimitri watched and waited, hoping they would fall on the chains and break them.

"Come on!" Dimitri yelled. He watched with anticipation and then with disbelief as the pillars fell inward, and caught each other diagonally. "You have got be fucking kidding me!"

All the pillars had tipped inward, but caught each other at an apex above Dimitri's head. The chains slackened and allowed him more movement, but he still found no purchase of escape in any way. He pulled again with all his strength, but it didn't even sway.

"I think you messed up there, Demi." Ashei actually smiled at Dimitri's problem. "At least you can move a little and not have to stand up constantly."

"Damn it!" Dimitri cursed his luck. He knew it would take something of a miracle to get out of this.

Link stepped onto the long wooden bridge that led into the Ordon Province. The memories he had here…

The bridge shook more than usual and he carefully crossed, stealing glances at this feet ever couple of steps. He didn't remember it being this bad.

He finally cleared it, but as soon as he stepped off the bridge, the ropes suspending it gave way and the bridge plummeted into the endless ravine.

"Fucking great…" Link sighed and kept walking. "I can't turn back now anyway."

He walked and looked to his right. He saw the spring where this had all began… Where Ilia had been kidnapped and he went to save her. After saving her, she had lost her memory, and a new quest began. During that quest, he was revealed to be the hero who would save Hyrule from the Twili and Zant. Big laugh when Ganon was revealed to be manipulating Zant.

"Oh, the good old days." Link mouthed to himself. Now he had been swept from the spotlight. All eyes were on Dimitri to save everyone.

"Feels different, doesn't it?" A voice scuttled through the trees above him. "Not being the one everyone is counting on?"

"Who's there?" Link drew his sword.

"Just an old friend you may not have ever wanted to see again." The voice moved around him quickly.

"And why would that be?" Link closed his eyes, listening for the footsteps. He heard a false step ahead of him, and then struck behind his back. He felt a hand grab the blade.

"Very good, Link." A familiar blonde haired man stood behind Link, grasping his sword that was inches from his chest. "You have indeed gotten better."

"I've tried." Link sheathed his sword. "I thought you were dead!"

"I was, but the Great Fairy spared me." Rusl smiled. "Ralis killed me at Lake Hylia, remember?"

"Yeah, the Twili drug you off while we were still in the water. We couldn't get to you fast enough." Link remembered the helplessness he had felt. "And then Dimitri buried you at the bottom of Lake Hylia."

"Yep, and it was a nice place to be buried, but the Great Fairy decided it wasn't my time." Rusl put his arm over Link's shoulders. "You haven't been home in a while. Let us go and visit our neighbors. Where have you been all this time?"

"Midna and I have relocated to the Zora reservoir for a while. We like it there, peaceful and a better place to train myself." Link walked with his former teacher.

"Midna? You have yourself a woman?" Rusl asked with glee.

"You could say that." Link let a smile show through.

"Well then you are a lucky man." Rusl pat him on the back. "Wait until you see my second son. He is a beautiful boy. We named him Link."

"Really?" Link didn't know what to say.

"Of course. We know he'll grow up to be a great man." Rusl assured him.

"It's an honor." Link thought about it.

The two men came to the outskirts of the village and were greeted by everyone in town.

"It's the hero himself!" Mayor Bo came to the front of the gathering. "How have you been boy? You have gotten bigger and stronger. I can tell just by looking at you."

"Thanks, Bo." Link shook his hand. He waved to all of his friends he used to hang out with. Uli, Rusl's wife, moved to the mayor's side. In her arms was a tight bundle with blonde hair sticking out.

"Rusl, Link." Uli walked up to them.

"There he is now." Rusl said and took his younger son in his arms. He showed Link his young, round face. "He looks just like his godfather."

"He does look like me." Link had promised to be the godfather to Rusl's children before the last Twili incident six months ago.

"I believe its getting late." Bo turned to the other people of the village. "You can all talk to Link tomorrow. For now, go home and sleep well tonight."

The people dissipated from around them. Bo smiled and bid them a good night.

"Care to join us for dinner?" Rusl motioned. Link nodded and followed Rusl and Uli to their house.

"Colin won't be joining us tonight. He joined some group in Kakariko and they're doing something tonight." Rusl informed him as they sat down at the table with the fireplace playing shadows against the far wall.

"What kind of group?" Link felt a pit in his stomach.

"They like to wear black and dye their hair silver… They look kinda like Dimitri when they do it. I think they do it just to look cool or something." Uli smiled and set the table. "Rusl told me what Dimitri looks like, and they sound so similar."

"Well that's cool… I guess." Link tried to keep a pleasant look on his face.

"Something the matter?" Rusl looked across the table at him.

"Umm… not really." Link decided to stay quiet. They began to eat and talk about what they had been doing since the last Twili incident.

"I'm going to go to bed now, dear." Uli kissed her husband and went into the next room, shutting the door.

"So what have you been doing since you were revived?" Link was strangely curious.

"I've been taking care of my family." Rusl smiled and pushed his plate away on the table. "And dealing with other problems that arise."

"Like what?" Link finished his meal.

"Just monsters coming into town and stuff like that. Not much else has been happening since you've been gone." Rusl leaned back in his chair.

"Rusl… about that group Colin joined…" Link started.

"The Dimitri Loyalists?" Rusl asked.

"Yeah… them… wait." Link tried to think.

"Don't worry. I know who they are…" Rusl looked at the ceiling. "I'm the one they call Lord Terra."

"What?" Link wasn't sure he understood.

"I am the one they call Lord Terra." Rusl reiterated. "I am one of the leaders of that group."

"Then you're the one killing so many people!" Link stood up.

"Shh." Rusl motioned for him to be quiet. "Uli is sleeping."

"Don't you know what you're doing?" Link sat back down and quieted his voice.

"Of course. But I think Ashei is the only one who knows what's really going on…" Rusl shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Link felt an adrenaline rush.

"All four of the Resistance were revived by the Great Fairy… or so we thought. It turns out we were really brought back as Twili." Rusl leaned over the table and spoke in a hushed tone. Link could see the dark flame in his eyes when he came closer. "I'm not sure what went wrong, but we were left in some realm that seemed to have no light or darkness. All four of us were there. I had been there longer than the others, but they appeared one by one, until all four us were reunited."

"Ok." Link followed Rusl's story.

"After a while, a huge flash of light came through and blinded us. After the light was gone, Ralis was there. I thought he was still mad with the darkness, but he was back to normal." Rusl continued. "Then we heard the Great Fairy's voice. She said 'each of you have been deemed fit to live again. Each had your lives taken by consequences of darkness, not of natural law'."

Rusl got something to drink and offered Link some. He politely refused.

"Ralis was the first to return to the realm of the living. We watched him fade into the light first. We each waited our turn… but the light went out after Ralis went through." Rusl continued as if in pain. "A light appeared behind us and we were swallowed by it. What we witnessed within this light was horrific. Souls were being tortured and damned to an existence that they would never be without pain."

"Damn…" Link couldn't imagine what it would have been like.

"And then the voice said that the road is different for men and women. Ashei was split from us. The shadows came out and grabbed her, swallowing her and we didn't know what happened to her." Rusl looked into his cup. "I'm pretty sure whatever happened after that is what changed her. It had to have been. We were subjugated to physical tortures, our skin being ripped off, and lashings on bare muscle… It was Hell."

"Oh my god…" Link didn't even want to imagine the images.

"After I don't know how long, we were released into what the voice called the Twili realm. It was bathed in golden light. The triforce shone overhead, giving the place a different dimension to it. We were led up the steps into the main palace, Ashei was still missing." Rusl drummed his fingers on the table nervously. "Our memory was wiped of what happened after we entered the palace. We awoke lying on top of the huge mirror that was made in the Arbiter's Grounds. Ashei was balled up and silently crying. We judged she had been there slightly longer than we had. She wouldn't speak a word to anyone for a whole month."

Link sat in hard silence. He motioned with his hand for Rusl to keep going. Rusl shuddered slightly and nodded.

"On closer inspection of ourselves, we looked into the mirror below us, checking to see if what we had suffered still showed, but it did not. I noticed our eyes first. I told everyone to look into the mirror and examine their eyes. All of our eyes burned with Twili flame. We had been tricked!!" Rusl was about to slam his fist down, but he stopped himself. "We were brought back as the enemy we died fighting! Ashei wouldn't even look in the mirror. She was too scared. Shad carried her on his back until we reached the great stone wall overlooking Lake Hylia. We all jumped to the clear waters below, vowing to meet at the west bank."

"When I got there, Auru was already there. He was looking for Shad and Ashei, but they hadn't made it yet. We both heard a voice pierce our consciousness. It told us to draw out Dimitri. He had caused all of our troubles in the first place. At first, we knew there was no way we could blame Dimitri for what happened… but then we realized… If Dimitri hadn't been involved, we could have still been alive, even if it were under Twili rule, alive nonetheless." Rusl stood and walked to the door. Link followed him outside into the night air. "We began to curse Dimitri and everything he had done. But then Ashei and Shad came ashore, and they hadn't heard the voice. We thought we were going mad, but the thoughts all stuck."

"So what made you decide to do what you've done?" Link finally found words.

"We went back to our normal lives, except Ashei, who was too traumatized and was taken care of by Telma. Telma told us she kept having terrible nightmares, probably remembering what happened to her…" Rusl ran his hand through his short blonde hair. He was sweating slightly in the cool air. "After about a month after we returned, Ashei finally spoke. She called for Dimitri at the top of her lungs, probably cursing him. She told Telma to send for Auru, Shad, and myself. We went to Castle Town and saw her. She lay barely able to move in a bed in the back of Telma's tavern."

"I haven't been anywhere near Castle Town since six months ago." Link pondered everything that he had heard.

"She told us what we were going to do. She said we would discover what we could do with our Twili powers, and use them to draw out Dimitri in any way possible. But a catch would be to not tell each other our powers… I never understood that. I think maybe it was precaution to make sure if something happened to us, we couldn't tell someone about it." Rusl strolled in front of Link to the brook that ran through the village. "I don't know where it went wrong. One of us has the ability to change something's image completely, which we used to make everyone look like Dimitri and the Great Fairy. And another of us has the ability to paralyze and blind someone, leaving them powerless. And the last one is someone can send people through another dimension, but I'm not sure which dimension."

"And what is yours?" Link asked, wondering if Rusl would actually answer him.

"I make illusions… illusions so good that even I'm convinced by them. And they can cover a broad area; say the size of a village." Rusl kneeled down and splashed water in his face. "Care to join me?"

"Don't mind if I do." Link kneeled beside him and splashed water in his own face, wiping off the sweat. But the water felt weird, like it was grating his skin. It felt like… sand!

Link opened his eyes and saw that he had been splashing sand on his face. He looked around and saw that there were no houses. All that was lying around were burnt logs and rubble. At his feet, where the brook had been, was a skeleton.

"You see what a curse I have, Link?" Rusl watched Link's reactions. "This was all destroyed after we realized what powers we had. The power took over our minds; we killed everyone here and burnt the houses to the ground. I used my abilities to recreate this place. I missed my wife so much, and for a while I blamed Dimitri for that too, but then realized that it was all my fault. There was no one to blame but ourselves. I molded the village back to what it was before everything had gone wrong. And lived here while carrying on with the others in Kakariko."

"For how long?" Link couldn't believe what his former mentor had done. Rusl said nothing. Link grabbed him by the collar. "FOR HOW LONG?!"

"Four months." Rusl said. Link couldn't hold back and decked him straight in the mouth with his right fist. Rusl lay on the ground, bleeding from the nose and mouth. He sat back up and didn't bother wiping away the blood. "You're right to hit me… Because I'm here to kill you, and take you out of the picture for Ashei's plan."

"What is the matter with you and Ashei, and Auru and Shad?!" Link grabbed him again. "What the hell could have been so bad to make you turn on your own people?! Your wife died here!! Because of you and Ashei and who the fuck else it was!!"

"You are right, Link." Rusl said, not able to look into his former friend's eyes. "I should no longer be alive… but that voice keeps telling me what to do… bribing me with getting my wife back if I do as Ashei says. I know it is lying… I took her life with my own hands… she would not want to come back to me."

"You bastard!! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!" Link held him by the throat and slammed him on the ground several times in a row. "I don't care what fucking voice tells you to do something. You should always listen to your heart first!"

"I know Link…" Rusl started to cry. "I know what I've done. I know that death is the only penalty for me, but that voice won't let me die…"

"What are you talking about?!" Link stopped for a second.

"This." Rusl lunged forward and knocked Link several yards back. Link stood and shot a death glare at the one he thought was Rusl. There was no way that could be Rusl anymore. "This man was too weak for his job. Perhaps he would have been better off dead anyway."

"Who the hell are you?!" Link yelled and drew his sword, bleeding.

"I would say your worst nightmare, but I'm not a nightmare. I'm real!" Rusl, or who used to be Rusl, shot straight forward, tackling Link through a burnt wall that was still standing. "Awww… is the Hero of Hyrule, the slayer of Ganon just going to die this easy?"

"Tell me something…" Link kicked his way free of rubble. "Is what all Rusl said true? About the torture and everything?"

"Yes. He was in fact telling the truth." Rusl hissed. "What of it?"

"Then you are going to suffer that a thousand fold!!" Link picked his sword off the ground and charged his enemy.

Zelda stood in the spring at the southern end of Kakariko Village. She looked back up the street and saw Dimitri sitting on the railing of a now deserted store. She knew he was out of her reach now… but she still loved his presence there, watching over her. She would do anything for him.

"Princess." She heard Ralis' voice behind her. "Are you ok out here?"

"Yes, Ralis." She turned and embraced him. But with her eyes over his shoulder, she looked at Dimitri. "I am fine now. I was just tired earlier."

"That's good to hear, Princess." Ralis said as she let go of him. "We'll be here for a little while longer. We are waiting for the one they call Lord Cotta to return. He'll come here thinking Lady Gaia is still here and we will snare him."

"Ok, Ralis. I trust your judgment." Zelda walked onto dry ground and sat down. "What is going to happen after all this is over?"

"I really don't know." Ralis sat beside her and looked over to Dimitri. "I think he will return to the Great Fairy once this is over."

"I believe he will too." She agreed, sad in her heart. "What will happen to Hyrule? Something like this is too big to go unnoticed."

"Remember six months ago? Anything can go unnoticed if we get lucky." Ralis pointed out. "I don't know what will happen though…"

"Let's go." Dimitri stood up and walked toward them. "We need to head back to the castle, something is going on. Ralis, stay here and watch for Cotta."

"Got it." Ralis did not object.

Dimitri helped Zelda saddle a horse and saddled a horse for himself. They rode off toward Hyrule Castle. Ralis smiled demonically as they left. It was all working just as Ashei had said. She was very brilliant.

Ralis let the darkness bleed from his skin, enveloping him in the Twili shroud he had worn six months ago when he was a Twili General.

"It feels so good." The demon inside him had reawakened. Ralis laughed from the depths of the darkness. "For I walk the earth once again."

"You should contain yourself a little better, Ralis." A scratchy voice rasped from the road out of town. "If you just go around displaying your powers, it may upset someone."

"What do you know, Auru?" He faced the oldest of the Resistance. "Soon I will be back in power. And nothing you can do will stop that from happening."

"It won't be me trying to stop you." Auru chuckled and walked right past him. "Is Ashei up the mountain?"

"Yes. She's trying to tame that beast Dimitri." Ralis said his name with the most hate Auru had ever heard someone say a person's name. "Trying to get him to see why this had to happen. It's a waste of fucking time!"

"I agree. Dimitri will never agree with what we have done, but that is his nature." Auru started up the mountain path. Ralis followed behind at a leisurely pace. "He's going to be furious once he finds out the next step of the plan."

"Of course he will." Ralis had a look of delight on his shrouded face.

Dimitri lay on the stone floor of the torrid cavern. He had long removed his cloak and threw it to where his swords wait for him. But he couldn't free himself. He sat thinking of some way to free himself, ignoring Ashei looking at him.

"Why are you still trying, Dimitri?" Ashei asked as Dimitri jerked on the chains while he was lying down. She could see he was getting angry and fed up with the situation.

"Because you have my lover in your possession and I don't know where she is." Dimitri grunted. "I would like to know where she is."

"She is currently in the Arbiter's Grounds." Ashei informed him.

"Why?" Dimitri sat up. He didn't like where this was going.

"Because it's how the plan goes. We capture the Great Fairy and transport her to the Twili Realm via the new mirror there. We keep you locked up here and out of the way. We keep Link and Midna imprisoned by Rusl in Ordon. Then have a perfect copy of you manipulating Zelda and taking her back to Hyrule."

"You're going to use her as a puppet." Dimitri added it all up. Link is out of the way. Midna, the true Twili leader, is out of the way. I'm left here, powerless… but what of Ralis?"

"I want you to be the one to find out. I'm not sure where he is…" Ashei shrugged. "Anything else you would like to add to that?"

"Who is really in control of all of this?" Dimitri got up on one knee. "I know you didn't concoct this whole scheme. I know I'm not the key role in this farce, so who is?"

"The voice that commands us…" Ashei stared off into space, as if remembering something painful. "The voice…"

"What voice are you talking about?" Dimitri pried the issue.

"The voice of the one who led us through Hell." Ashei kept spacing out. Her memories kept her from saying more.

"What exactly happened?" Dimitri didn't understand a word she was saying.

"The voice that led us to where we would be revived after the Twili incident. It told us what we would have to do… We were given punishment, but I'm not sure why." Ashei shivered as she told her recollection of events. "And I didn't receive the same punishment as the men… I could have taken that… but I wasn't prepared for what happened to the women…"

"What kind of torture?" Dimitri could tell how excruciating it had been by her tone of voice and body movements.

"Mental… and other methods…" Ashei stood up and moved to Dimitri. She pushed him back onto the stone floor and lay on his chest. She held him so tight, he was beginning to bruise. Dimitri felt tears on his chest and he put his arms around her, stroking the back of her head.

"It's ok." Dimitri soothed her; she was seizing horribly. He held her tighter and kept soothing her. "I understand what happened, and this would be the correct response. Just let it be in the past… Just let it be in the past."

"But they threatened to do it again, over and over again…" She kept a hold of him.

"You're being kept in line out of fear…" Dimitri said in her ear quietly. "You can't let that fear own you. The suffering you have been through will either kill you or make you stronger. You have to decide which one it will be."

"I don't know… I don't know…" Ashei cried into his body.

"Just calm down. You can get through this." Dimitri looked at the pillars leaning against each other directly overhead. He hadn't foreseen this. It was unexplainable. She had really been traumatized by this, it was no act.

Dimitri had no idea who the voice belonged to, but only one being had any entry into that realm of Hell. The Great Fairy.

He didn't understand any of this, and he wasn't going to get the chance to explain it any time soon. He knew the horrors that souls went through when they were put through that ordeal… especially the women condemned there.

Ashei finally got through her moment of weakness. She still held Dimitri as close as possible.

"Are you ok now?" Dimitri mouthed next to her ear.

"For now…" Ashei replied. Dimitri was not complaining about her current position. He still held her close, with a sense of understanding. He cared about her, whether he knew it consciously or not.

They lay together for nearly an hour, saying nothing, most likely trying to figure out what to say. Dimitri was about to say something when something hit him. A single thought that inspired instant blasphemy in his mind… and yet it was nearly perfect.

It was a setup! The one behind all this was the Great Fairy. He hated himself as soon as it crossed his mind, but it made perfect sense. There should have been no way for anyone to have captured her, Twili or not. She may not have been able to fight openly, but they never would have had the strength to take her. When her presence disappeared, she couldn't have been simply captured; he still would have felt her presence. She had to have crossed into another realm! The Great Fairy herself had punished Ashei and the others. It was a sick game of chess…

"Ashei… what was your plan? What were you supposed to do with the Great Fairy?" Dimitri asked and stroked her hair again.

"We were supposed to bring her to the Twili realm… but I'm not sure why." Ashei had her eyes closed.

"And what were you supposed to make Link and Midna do?" Dimitri kept asking.

"I think they were going to be executed in the Twili realm. I'm not sure who was going to do it though." She was perfectly motionless. Dimitri didn't have much to go on.

"And Ralis?" Dimitri knew this was the key piece of information.

"……I reawakened the Twili inside him before we captured you…… He was the one who knocked you out." Ashei said honestly. "He's supposed to usurp me for control over this plan…"

"That's what the voice told you?" Dimitri glanced to his swords a ways away.

"No, but I know it's supposed to happen by just how the voice has spoken the past couple of times." Ashei was falling asleep.

"Well, you can't let that happen. Things will spiral out of control if he takes over. I can see it already." Dimitri informed her. He was about to go on when he heard the bulkhead moving.

Through the bulkhead stepped Auru and following was a complete darkness. Dimitri could barely sense it, but he knew it was Ralis. Ashei got up and turned to them.

"Been getting a little close?" Auru smiled a little.

"I'm surprised he didn't kill you." Ralis stepped out from behind Auru. "You should be careful around him. I'm sure he's willing to do anything to escape and see his Great Fairy."

"Of course, Ralis. And I will make it to her, at any cost." Dimitri said half sarcasm, half serious.

"How are things coming along?" Ashei dusted herself off and rubbed her eyes.

"No word from Rusl about Link and Midna, but we are confident in his abilities. Shad is waiting for us on the other side. All that's left is for all of us to join him. We have Zelda in position, and Dimitri here is taken care of." Auru gave her the rundown. "Do you want to go ahead and go?"

"Should we? And leave Rusl and Link as uncontrolled variables? Say Rusl does fail…" Ashei pondered. "We all know how strong Link is. He stands a good chance against Rusl…"

"But still, Rusl will not Link live even if he himself dies." Ralis stopped Ashei's wondering. "Let's go and leave this bastard to rot."

"Why thank you for you hospitality, Oh great Twili master!" Dimitri glared at him. Ralis took his time and walked toward Dimitri. He stood face to face with him now. "What? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to seal off this entire mountain behind us, and you are going to be fucked." Ralis punched Dimitri with every ounce of his Twili strength. Ralis heard a very satisfying snap as Dimitri landed on the stone floor. He wasn't moving anymore. "And I bid you farewell, stupid son of a bitch…"

"Then we will be leaving?" Auru looked at Ashei.

"Yes… We will leave." Ashei looked one last time at Dimitri, who was now lying in a pool of blood. "Ralis. Seal it all off behind us."

"Gladly." Ralis watched Ashei and Auru leave the chamber. Ralis turned back to Dimitri. "You hear that? It's all over now. I know that as strong as you are, there will be know way of escaping from this place by yourself. And I'm quite sure no help will be coming for you. Enjoy your little Hell!"

"Then leave already and stop gloating." Dimitri said, not moving from the floor. "You're giving me time to formulate a plan, dumb ass."

"That's because I know none of your plans will work, no matter how crazy and unpredictable they are." Ralis picked Dimitri up off the ground. "Show me what you've got."

"I don't have anything yet." Dimitri smiled and lifted a hand. There was more slack in the chain than Ralis had seen. Dimitri countered the cheap shot Ralis gave him with one that he knew was much more powerful. On impact, Dimitri felt the side of Ralis' face collapse. As soon as he pulled his arm back, he saw the Twili blood coating his arm. "And I've always been able to give a hell of a shot."

"You….bastard…" Ralis spat blood and fell to the ground. Dimitri didn't have to see past the shroud of darkness to see what damage had been done. The whole left side of his skull was shattered. Dimitri fell to the ground and felt dark energy run through his chains, preventing him from doing anything else. Ralis crawled to the door. "You will pay for that. Trust me, I will come back and make sure you die now!!"

"Run like a coward." Dimitri stood in place and watched his enemy crawl away. "I'll make sure you see me again. Count on it."

Ralis crawled through the door. After about five minutes, Ashei ducked he head into the chamber.

"I hope you decide to kill yourself before you have to starve." Ashei called out. But as she was turning to leave, she threw a key across the floor, sliding to his feet. She winked and left.

"That woman…" Dimitri sighed and thought of the danger she could get in with Ralis.

Link was bleeding out and losing all of his strength. Rusl stood over him, poised to deliver the final blow. He uselessly grabbed for his sword a few feet away. Rusl stepped on his wrist and pinned it to the ground. He crushed the bones in his arms as he leaned on his wrist with all of his weight.

"Didn't I tell you this was pointless?" Rusl hissed with a different voice than his own. The Twili flame in his eyes had grown. "I told you that you were going to die from the beginning. Why not just surrender and I will end you pathetic life, Hero of Hyrule?"

"Because I give a fuck about what happens to this land!" Link flailed with his uninjured arm, striking Rusl's leg. Rusl didn't budge an inch, but instead kicked Link back down to the ground.

"Midna would be so disappointed in you." Rusl watched Link continue to bleed ceaselessly on the ground. "You'll only last a few more minutes, and then all of your blood will be gone."

"I figured as much." Link gasped for air but managed to look up and smile. "I figured you couldn't kill me in combat. You had to use the coward's way and let me bleed to death."

"You are the coward." Rusl pointed his sword at Link's throat. "You are attempting to dwell on my pride. It will not work because as long as you're dead, I don't care how I did it."

"As I thought…" Link ignored the man standing over him and looked into the peaceful blue sky. He thought many times he would die like this, someday. Looking up at the sky… being the last thing he saw. "Well then fuck you."

"I don't think so. You're the dead one here." Rusl let off of him and began to walk away. "May you be spared when you enter that realm of Hell."

"May you be there when I get there." Link used the last ounce of his strength to grab his sword and impaled Rusl on it.

"You are good." Rusl backed away and Twili blood began to coat the ground. "But you have merely sacrificed yourself for a puppet. How foolish."

"Just die." Link twisted his sword and pulled it out. Rusl's eyes returned to normal, releasing him from his curse. They fell to their knees and smiled at each other. "You're back."

"Yes… and thank you, Link. You have granted my wish…" Rusl fell onto Link's shoulder, and died on his friend. Link grabbed his mentor's body and laid it on the ground.

"You are better off from this world." Link moved his hands to his stomach and chest, where he had been bleeding from. He wasn't going to make it. "And apparently, so am I…"

Link faded from consciousness and started to hallucinate. He saw Dimitri swoop down over him and throw his cloak down. He felt pressure on his wounds and passed out.

Zelda rode along side Dimitri on a black horse. His horse was pure white and personified his character. They were heading back to Hyrule Castle to return the chain of command. Ralis said the kingdom was falling into anarchy with their disappearance.

Dimitri had ordered Ralis to stay in Kakariko to keep an eye on things. She didn't care; she just wanted to be closer to Dimitri.

"What should we do when we get there?" Zelda looked at Dimitri's determined expression.

"It would be best to assure the people all is fine and tell them nothing has happened. Tell them that Kakariko was evacuated for monster issues." Dimitri looked straight ahead. "We'll stay in the castle until Ralis sends word of Lady Gaia's capture."

"Ok, Demi." Zelda nodded and couldn't take her eyes from him.

They rode into Castle Town, and dead bodies littered the ground. They all had silver hair and black cloaks. Zelda noticed the resemblance. The Hyrule Guard stood in barricade formation, a barrier between them and the castle.

"Halt!" The soldiers braced themselves when they saw Dimitri. "Dismount your horse and release Princess Zelda!!"

"Don't you know who I am?" Dimitri and Zelda grew closer to the line of soldiers. He unsheathed his sword, which was interpreted as a hostile action. "Stop! I am former head knight, Dimitri! Recognize my sword, the emblem of who I am."

Every soldier grinded to a dead stop. They knew who he was. Not a single soldier in the guard didn't know him. He was the legendary 'First Knight,' the knight who protected Zelda during an assassination attempt four years ago. And then he had risen in less than a month to Zelda's personal bodyguard. They all looked to one day be like him.

"Let us through to the castle." Dimitri said, and watched as every soldier stepped out of the way. "Thank you. We will be in the main tower if you need us."

"I wish to address the people later." Zelda said to the captain as she passed be.

Dimitri led the way into the heavily fortified castle walls. He saw many dead around the grounds, the signs of some battle that had been waged not too long ago. Many knights and cultists had been slain in the process.

They dismounted and went into the castle. More corpses lined the halls. They had actually gotten in…

"I didn't think it would have been this bad." Zelda looked over the body count.

"This will all be over soon enough." Dimitri climbed a flight of stairs. "I will make sure to end it."

"Of course, Demi." Zelda followed her former lover and knight up the stairs to her chambers. They entered the room and Dimitri took a seat with one leg on the window sill facing out. "What do we do now?"

"We wait." Dimitri didn't look at her. "Wait for a signal of some kind. You can speak to the public whenever you feel like it."

"Ok." Zelda thought about what she should do.


	2. Above the Shadow Pt 2

Link came to in complete darkness. His stomach and chest were wrapped, but still felt no wound. He weaved his hand in between the bandages and touched his skin. No cuts or gashes were there. His body was just as he had been before he fought with Rusl, or rather whatever was controlling him.

"It's about time you woke up." Dimitri turned on a light. The light hurt Link's eyes for a few seconds and then he looked over at Dimitri. He had a deep bruise around his neck, and his cloak was up on the wall. He wore bruises around his wrists like armlets, and on his bare chest, he could see dried blood and more bruises. "You look like you'd been through more hell than I had been."

"You first. Tell me what happened to you." Link put his arm over his eyes and lay back down. He checked his body and flexed his muscles while he lay there.

"After I sent you to Ordon, I learned that Ashei was Lady Gaia." Dimitri drank from a cup of coffee he had on the table.

"Yeah, I learned that too." Link blinked several times.

"Well, Ralis turned back to the Twili and knocked me out." Dimitri set his cup down.

"No way." Link looked over at Dimitri in disbelief. "He's Twili again?"

"Not all Twili." Dimitri smiled wide. "I took a little bit of if out of him last time I saw him. I punched him so hard in the face, I crushed the whole side of his skull."

"Bad ass, bro." Link gave him a weak thumbs up. "What's with the awesome body decoration?"

"I got all this from chains made from the ghosts of the dead Goron elders and Darbus. They had me locked up in the deepest pit under Death Mountain for a couple days. I spent quite a bit of time with Ashei, she told me a lot about what happened. She suspected Ralis was about to edge her out of the picture." Dimitri recounted. "Said that a voice in her head was telling her what to do and it was acting weird now."

"Rusl said that a voice was telling him what to do and had led them through Hell." Link compared their experiences. "It's most likely the same voice."

"It is. Too coincidental to be anything different." Dimitri looked out the window behind him. "I also saw Auru. The only one left unaccounted for is Shad, and he was the one responsible for taking care of the Great Fairy."

"Strange." Link sat up.

"That's what I thought." Dimitri knew Link understood what it all meant.

"Is the Great Fairy behind it all?" Link questioned.

"I hate the very thought, but that's the only way it makes any sense…" Dimitri felt guilty. "No one else could have done all of this. And I know that know one would have been able to capture her, no matter what handicap she had."

"I can understand that." Link had felt the Great Fairy's presence before and knew the power she held. "So what do we do?"

"I have a feeling that they have all crossed over into the Twili realm. That's where Ashei said the plan was over. I'm pretty sure that's where they have Midna and the Great Fairy, if she really was captured." Dimitri held a map. "There are no more cultists left. They're all dead. They were puppets anyway from what I know."

"I'm not worried about that." Link sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked around for a second. "Where are we?"

"Your house." Dimitri pulled back a curtain, revealing the house Link once called home in Ordon.

"I thought Rusl burned the village down?" Link stood and went to the window. Surely enough, he saw the burnt houses in the distance between the trees. "And how do I know that you're Dimitri? This could be a very elaborate illusion."

"I killed our parents." Dimitri offered.

"Too easy." Link turned on him.

"I was the personal bodyguard to Zelda for three years and then faked my death by going over the falls at Lake Hylia." Dimitri sat back and smiled.

"Still easy."

"Hmm… you're not helping either of us by not trusting me." Dimitri drank from his cup again. "But I can understand your distrust. I don't think anything I can say can prove I'm the real Dimitri."

"Then I believe you are the real Dimitri." Link sat in a chair by the window. "Only you are so honest as to give up."

"Are you sure?" Dimitri pushed him.

"Quite. How long are we going to stay here?" Link stared at the charred remains of his former village.

"As long as you need to heal." Dimitri shrugged. "But I think you are full healed now. Aren't you?"

"I am." Link answered. "What will we do first?"

"I think we'll head to the castle first. I sensed Zelda returned not too long ago. I'm not sure what's going on, but they let her go back to the castle." Dimitri looked over his map again. He had drawn an X over certain regions. Kakariko and Faron were crossed off, as was Lanaryu and Peak Province. "These regions are free of any cultist or Twili presence. That just leaves Lake Hylia, the Castle, and the Gerudo Desert."

"Mmk." Link examined the map and scratched out Ordon.

"We're going to the castle next, and then once we find out what is going on, we're going to Lake Hylia to use Fyer's cannon." Dimitri stood up and donned his cloak. He equipped his swords and slung them on his back. "Whenever you're ready."

"Then let's not waste time." Link grabbed his tunic lying over the back of his chair. He dressed quickly and slung his sword over his shoulder. "I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible."

"That makes two of us." Dimitri adjusted his long sleeves over his wrists and stretched his long black pants. He let his cloak hang over his back and shoulders to where he became a walking shadow except for his silver hair and twin Claymores.

"Why do you always dress in black?" Link asked as they walked side by side up the path toward Faron.

"Because it makes me look cool. Why else?" Dimitri said with a straight face. "Makes me look like Death Incarnate. Coming to end your life while there is nothing you can do about it."

"Awesome. Where can I get an outfit like that?" Link smiled.

"After this is all over, I'll make you one out of Twili hide." Dimitri allowed himself a chuckle. Their pace brought them to the ravine where Link saw the bridge fall. "And now I face the abyss again."

"Yeah…. How did you cross this on the way here?" Link looked at Dimitri's profile view. "I would like to know."

"How do you think I made it?" Dimitri patted his younger brother on the shoulder and winked.

"You used your 'god' powers and jumped, didn't you?" Link sighed.

"You know it." Dimitri shook his brother a little bit. He then grabbed Link's arms and started to swing him in a circle.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Link yelled as his voice traveled around Dimitri.

"You need to get across too." Dimitri expended almost no energy and let go, hurling him to the other side of the ravine. "Man, my aim is pretty good."

"You bastard!" Link managed to cry before hitting the ground of the path on the other side. He hit softer than he expected, but still landed face first.

"Ooooh… That was smooth." Dimitri laughed quietly to himself. He tensed his legs, and then bounded over the bottomless pit. He landed ahead of Link and didn't look back. "Don't fall behind now."

"Hey! I didn't see you land on your face." Link gathered himself back up. He stood up slowly and shakily. He followed after Dimitri as quickly as he could.

"I'm not allowed to have a sense of humor?" Dimitri looked back and smiled wider than Link had ever seen.

"No. The Holy Emissary of the Triforce should never laugh!" Link said, dripping with sarcasm. "I'm starting to think that you might not be the real Dimitri."

"Ha ha. Go ahead and think that. But who do you know that could do that little stunt just now?" Dimitri still smiled.

"A Twili double." Link reasoned.

"No. You would see it in my eyes." Dimitri corrected him. "No matter what they do, a Twili can never change the dark glow in their eyes. Ralis couldn't do it after he was brought back. I just wish I would have noticed it sooner."

"It's ok. You can kill him for good this time." Link began to walk in step with his taller brother.

"I don't think I'll be strong enough to do it this time. I was hoping that shot I gave him to the face would rattle him and convince him not to remain a Twili, but all it did was fuck up his face. He wasn't deterred in the slightest bit." Dimitri's smile had long faded. "It only provoked him to get stronger and consume more darkness in his soul. I know he'll be waiting for me… wherever they are."

"I wouldn't sweat it." Link said as they exited the heavily wooded path and emerged into another large field. They saw Hyrule castle in the distance, as you could from every field in the Kingdom. They both nearly sighed when they saw a very ominous cloud hanging over the land of Hyrule. It was especially over the castle.

"Doesn't this get old to you?" Dimitri asked his brother as they moved forward at the same time.

"Very, but who else is going to do it?" Link agreed and threw his hands up.

"Too bad there isn't anyone else to do it." Dimitri thought about what he really wanted to do: kick back, relax, and let Hyrule rot.

"I know. But it's our 'destiny' to do it." Link made little quotation marks with his fingers. "Shit gets old."

They took their time while crossing the plain. They passed back and forth several small topics, finally deciding the weather was about to get back.

"Now I wish I had a cloak like yours." Link heard thunder roaring above them. Drops of black rain began to fall, slowly at first, and it moved into a torrent of black from the sky. Link instantly had his clothes turn black.

"I guess you should be careful what you wish for." Dimitri threw his hood up at the last second, keeping his gleaming silver hair out of the muck. "It's raining Twili blood."

"It's heavy." Link was now hampered and moving as if he had hundreds of pounds on his back.

"I know. One drop weighs several pounds. You're drenched." Dimitri watched the terrain around him. Trees were being bent, grass was being crushed. Any creature caught out in it was soon killed under the weight and pressure of the downpour.

Dimitri saw that the blood was pooling everywhere, putting great weight on the ground. He grabbed Link and slung him over his back. The weight barely affected him as he began to run.

"What are you doing?" Link said over the sound of falling blood.

"Saving us from trouble." Dimitri said with perfect lung control while running. He ran until he reached the steps of the bridge leading to castle town. They looked back to the field just in time to see the ground cave in under the pressure of the blood. A giant fissure stretched from where they had emerged from Ordon all the way to their feet at the steps.

"Oh shit…" Link imagined what would have happened.

"Yeah. Welcome to my world." Dimitri walked up the steps. Link struggled his way up the steps with the added weight, but finally made it. He noticed that Dimitri's cloak repelled the blood easily.

"I think the bridge is about to be crushed." Dimitri looked ahead of them at the bridge spanning the Zora River leading to Lake Hylia. The river had turned black. The 'rain' had stuck to the bridge. "I think we'll have to be very careful… and run for it."

"Great combination." Link pointed out with just a little sarcasm.

"You go first, Link." Dimitri pulled back his hood. "The bridge will support you but will most likely be too heavy when I go across."

"Ok…" Link walked with added weight across the cracking bridge. It began to moan with the sound of breaking stone as he reached halfway.

"Run for it!" Dimitri called out as the bridge snapped where Link planted his foot. He pushed with all his strength and climbed the stone piece as it plummeted into the dark river below. He reached out for the edge and just barely grabbed it with one hand. The weight of the blood strained his arm and pulled his shoulder out of socket.

"Agh… God damn it!!" Link brought his other arm up and grasped the edge. He brought himself up to where his chest was over the edge, but his dislocated shoulder gave out and he fell back down. Right before he lost grip with his other hand, Dimitri jumped the raging river and offered a hand up. Dimitri pulled him up onto the stone ledge with no trouble. "How many times have you saved me?"

"When do you want me to start counting from?" Dimitri pulled him under a jutting rampart of the town's wall. "That shoulder looks bad…"

"Well it kinda feels bad too!" Link screamed when Dimitri tried to move his shoulder.

"Maybe Zelda can fix your arm when we get to her. Let's go into town." Dimitri stood Link up. They walked through the gate and emerged into a black castle town, deserted of everything except corpses and Twili blood. They saw that most of the corpses bore a resemblance to Dimitri and the Great Fairy. The others were the townspeople the cultists killed.

"YOU!! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!!" A line of soldiers came into view as they strode through town, still pounded by the rain.

"I got this." Link stepped ahead of Dimitri, now finding it easier to walk under the weight with his mind on the pain in his shoulder. "Captain. I am Link of Ordon. This is my brother, Dimitri."

"He is a double!" The captain and his subordinates stepped past Link and raised their weapons. "The great knight Dimitri has already taken Zelda into the castle. We've seen and killed several like you!!"

"Is that how it is?" Dimitri said where only he could hear himself.

"Surrender your weapons and you will be granted a quick execution." They surrounded him. "If you do not comply, you will be killed mercilessly on the spot!"

"Did I not train you better?" Dimitri looked the captain in the eyes. He had taught this man when he was lieutenant, three and a half years ago. It was the man who had delivered his falsified death report. He remembered how much younger the man had looked when he had taken the fall off the cliff. He had smiled right before falling, and he thought he had revealed it to him by doing that. But apparently he didn't catch it.

"What did you say?!" The captain came even closer.

"I asked you if I hadn't trained you better." Dimitri said, looking down at the captain as he was now inches from his face. "I thought I taught you to keep your distance at all times from the enemy, especially if you have a longer reach than them."

Dimitri grabbed the man's throat and suspended him in the air.

"If you value the life of your dear Captain, please let the REAL Dimitri through." Dimitri offered an ultimatum.

"Don't listen to him." The captain remained defiant. "Kill him, don't worry about me."

"You did learn something from me. Always keep your eye on the objective." He kept the man raised in the air. "Do you remember, lieutenant? When I fell off the cliff? And I dropped that paper, right at your feet when I went over the falls?"

"What are you talking about?" He felt Dimitri tighten his grip just slightly. Link watched from behind the soldiers surrounding his brother.

"I was your teacher three and a half years ago. You were one of the knights I handpicked to go to Lake Hylia with me. Remember when I fell off and you searched at the bottom of the falls for days for any sign of me to come up?" Dimitri saw the realization in the man's eyes. "You know who I am. I am the real Dimitri."

"He is." The captain nodded furiously. "Let him through. We let a fake into the castle! Princess Zelda is in danger!"

"Let's go up then." Dimitri let him down. Dimitri and Link led the soldiers up the stairs to the main hall. They were greeted by several Dimitri look-alikes.

"How did they get in here?!" A soldier croaked. The look-alikes immediately attacked the group that climbed the stairs.

Dimitri cleared three fakes with a hammer blow with the sword in one hand, and leveled two others with a sidelong swing of the other sword. Link cut straight through them one at a time. The soldiers weren't doing too well. Their numbers dwindled until it was just the captain, Dimitri, and Link.

"Well, sir… It's been an honor serving under you and seeing you again, sir." The captain said as they were caught in another wave of copies. Dimitri beheaded a copy before it did the same to the captain.

"You can still serve your kingdom if you don't die." Dimitri covered him and eliminated a handful more. The three warriors wore them down and eventually killed all of them. They left the bodies where they were and proceeded to Zelda's quarters. "They have to be up here."

"What's your name?" Link asked the captain, who was actually pretty decent in combat.

"It's Azaan." He wiped blood from his face. He threw his helmet onto the floor. He had shoulder length black hair and strong features. He wore the customary captain's armor with the red breastplate and chain mail. They kept running up the stone steps.

"Nice to meet you." Link said, breathing heavily as the climbed. "You've already met Dimitri."

"Yes I have." Azaan looked at Dimitri's back as he was the first one up the stairs. They reached the top of the stairs and Zelda's door.

Link got on one side and Azaan got on the other. They nodded at Dimitri and held their swords at the ready in case something came flying out at them. Dimitri held both swords and smiled at them. Link got a weird feeling that Dimitri was having fun with all of this. Dimitri ran and kicked the door off its hinges. It was still in mid-air when he ran under it to the other side of the room to surround its occupants.

"I have got to learn some of those moves." Azaan couldn't believe his speed. The door finally hit the ground and Dimitri was on the far side, and Link and Azaan covered the door, making a triangle. Link felt another feeling of irony, but he didn't know where that was coming from either.

The room was empty. They threw the bed aside and tore the room apart. No one was there. They noticed the window was open and decide to follow the trail of clues. There was a ledge outside the window that circled the castle.

"Duh…" Dimitri rolled his eyes. One by one, they all crawled through the open window. It was still raining Twili blood, and Dimitri drew his cloak over his head again. Link had no problem moving under the weight now. Azaan had already been coated by it and was getting used to it as well. "I can tell someone has walked here."

Footprints were being quickly covered by the deluge of blood. They followed them and jumped over a gap in the ramparts that provided for a door. As they continued after the footprints, the ledge grew narrower and they could only move one at a time down the walls.

"I'll go first." Dimitri surged ahead, not even considering anyone else to take point. "All this is just one wild fucking goose chase anyway."

They approached the edge, and saw a black figure. They saw a gleam of silver hair covered in Twili blood. They were turned away from the three men, and had something around their neck. As they got closer, within ten feet, they saw it was an arm… a left arm.

"No." Dimitri saw the triforce on the back of the hand, which was feminine. It had blood running along it and down the cloak it clung to. "Turn around you bastard!"

The figure turned and showed what it had been hiding. It held Zelda in its arms and she was covered in its blood and her own. She clung to him, not a shred of life left in her body. The figure was a Dimitri look-alike, but Dimitri could tell he wasn't nearly the same as all the others.

"What did you do to the Princess?!" Azaan cried, seeing Zelda's form covered in blood. Her blood mixed with the blood on the ground. "What the hell did you do?!"

"I did what the voice told me to do." The doppelganger remained emotionless. "I killed her."

Dimitri walked forward briskly. He punched the copy in jaw and made him let go of Zelda's body. He caught her body and cradled it. The copy fell on his back, and lay there without moving or making a sound. Dimitri's mind began to cycle through all of the memories he had made with her. He had been her knight and body guard.

He had been her lover for three years before he faked his death before he got tired of Hyrule and faked his death. He had truly loved her, she was his first love, and there was always that spot in his heart. He had always hidden it, and never let it affect him. Her being dead in his arms was how he had seen it happen in his dreams before he had left. He had left to prevent this, but it didn't help in the slightest bit.

Link and Azaan could see the hate building up in Dimitri's eyes. They stepped back and watched him start to shake with rage.

"YOU BASTARD!!" Dimitri held her body even closer and ignored the blood on him. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?!"

"Nothing…" The copy began to cry. His tears were covered soon with more blood. "Nothing…"

"I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!" Dimitri stood up and shakily handed Zelda's body to Link. He drew both swords and walked to where he was standing over the copy. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"No one important." The copy looked up at the original and accepted his fate.

"Show me!!" Dimitri was starting feel the effect of the grief.

The copy ripped off the cloak and dispelled the illusion.

"Shad!" Link cried upon seeing the former Resistance member's face. He lay on the stone, covered in blood, waiting for his death to come.

Dimitri couldn't stop shaking with rage and grief. He turned away from a man he knew was only being controlled by someone else.

"She loved you so much…" Shad closed his eyes. "She thought I was you and never knew any different. She was willing to do anything you said… or what I said…"

"Shut up!" Dimitri dropped his swords once he walked further away.

"She even listened to me when I told her that we were going to commit suicide together…" Shad revealed the knife in his stomach, still loosing his blood. "She hers first, truly believing that I would do the same. She looked into my eyes, and ignored the dark flame within them. She kissed me so tenderly and then stabbed herself. She showed no pain as she kept gazing into mine."

"I said shut up!!" Dimitri fell to his knees with tears flowing down his face. Shad pulled the knife out and threw it off the edge.

"And I decided that I couldn't let her die alone…" Shad grunted in pain, taking in his dying breaths. "So I plunged the knife into myself, and held her until you caught up with us."

"He said shut UP!!" Link moved past Dimitri, kneeled down, and punched the man he once knew as a friend in his wound. With that punch, he extinguished the life of another of his friends. "Damn it, Shad!"

"Let it be…" Dimitri clenched his jaw and punched the stone wall beneath them, cracking it. "God damn it! This is why I left! I saw this happen, and I saw this fucking kingdom finally rot!! It was bittersweet and I didn't know how to take it… So I left, damn it!!"

"Dimitri…" Link tried to console his brother, but Dimitri cried out louder in frustration. Azaan moved to Zelda's form, in front of Dimitri. He kneeled and saluted his fallen liege. He shed a few tears, for he was proud to have been a knight for Hyrule and the Princess.

"Let's get out of this rain…" Dimitri still cried and picked up Zelda's remains. He carried her back into her chambers. He laid her on the bed and kneeled beside it. "Please… leave me alone for a while."

The two men looked at Zelda one last time, and left the room with Azaan shutting the door behind them.

"Can you hear me, my little Requiem?" Dimitri wiped some tears away but couldn't keep more from coming. "Please hear me…"

Dimitri grabbed her lifeless left hand and held it in his. The triforce had left her hand, the true sign of her death. The triforce of wisdom was now passed onto someone else, someone of destiny… but he didn't care.

"I'm sorry I left you so long ago… I always thought about you… even though I had someone else lately. I suppressed those memories… to keep me from missing you. I drove myself away from you on purpose…" Dimitri began to confess, hoping that it might help to bring her back. He knew it was pointless, but he kept going. "I faked my death because I thought my presence would only hamper your growth, always there to do something for you… And never letting you learn on your own… But you learned so much from me, more than I thought you did. And you became the perfect woman any man would die for… And Shad proved that…"

More tears streamed at that last thought. He couldn't stop crying.

"You matured beyond anything I knew was possible. You carried this whole kingdom while I was gone, and even asked for help from Link when you knew you couldn't do it." Dimitri kissed her hand softly. "When I saw you again, after so long, I wanted to scoop you up into my arms and love you like I used to, but I had found another love. I love the Great Fairy… I do, just as much as I love you. I don't know how to explain it…"

The rain of blood outside was still going strong. Dimitri ignored the blood seeping in through the window.

"I spent my time with her while you found Ralis, who had once been corrupted, was now pure as he had been before the shit that happened six months ago. I know he made you happy, and you slowly forgot about me. It was how I had hoped it would be… but I would still watch you from the shadows…" Dimitri would have given his life to have her live again. "But then all this came up, and I had to come back into your life… and become a tool to use against you. They used your love for me, to get to you… and do this to you. I will never forgive them. I will kill all of those involved, I swear to you, Requiem. They will all die!"

Dimitri heard Azaan mutter about him going insane. But then Link defended him and said he was merely blind with rage and ready to finish all of this. Link was right, but so was Azaan. Dimitri had already lost his sanity.

"I will come back for you, Requiem." Dimitri stood up and kissed her forehead, just like he always did in the mornings when she was still asleep. "I will bring you their head."

Dimitri opened the door and stepped out, completely changed. Link and Azaan stared at him for a few minutes.

"I am much different than you knew me, even before six months ago. I hope you will both continue with me while I go to seek vengeance and finish all of this." Dimitri pleaded his case.

"I'll go. For Zelda, Rusl, Shad, and Midna." Link vowed.

"I will go. It is my sworn duty to avenge my master." Azaan swore.

"Then let's go." Dimitri went back into the room and threw his cloak over Zelda's pure form as she lay there. He prayed for her as he walked out the door showing his bare, muscular back, chest, and all of his scars.

"I'm not sure how, but Dimitri has escaped. He rescued Link from Rusl in Ordon not too long ago." Auru reported to Ashei and Ralis. Ashei said nothing as Ralis still held his face. A wound that bad would take a long time to heal, even for his regenerative abilities. "He fought his way into the castle past all the copies with Link and a guard captain. The guard captain isn't very important. He got lucky that Dimitri came through when he did."

"I don't care. Let him come for me." Ralis winced in pain. Ashei smiled to herself as Ralis flinched. "I'm betting Ashei here freed him herself somehow."

"And why would I do that?" Ashei defended herself.

"Because you gave your life for him and all that bullshit." Ralis locked eyes with her. "And you seemed to be very close when we showed up."

"Like I would get close to him. He's not worth having anymore." Ashei sneered.

"Oh really?" Ralis ignored Auru and focused on Ashei. She'd been getting on his nerves ever since he'd become a Twili again. "Then why did you spend so much time with him alone while we set everything up for you?"

"Because I wanted to see him feel completely helpless. To be locked up and everyone dying and not being able to do anything about it." Ashei covered herself rather well and convincingly. "Besides, he rattled the pillars and I thought he would be able to escape that way."

"Do we even know how he got out?" Ralis finally noticed Auru again.

"No idea." Auru shrugged.

"Who cares?" Ralis walked from the darkened room. He left Ashei and Auru by themselves.

"Did you do it?" Auru asked once he knew Ralis was out of earshot.

"What do you think?" Ashei leaned against the wall and looked at the black ceiling.

"I think you did." Auru nodded.

"Then I did." Ashei looked at him. He understood.

"Then I will go act my part in this scheme…" Auru left the room.

Ashei was left in the pitch black walled room alone. Her sins began to bear down on her, crushing her mind and taking the only innocence she had left. She slid down the wall and prayed Dimitri would make it.

"I need help…" Ashei brought her knees to her chest.

"Yes you do. And I'm the one to help you." The darkness receded.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ashei saw who it was.

Dimitri thought of nothing but killing Ralis. He was the one his mind focused on. He would kill him with his own hands, even if it meant he would die too. He would stop at nothing until that bastard writhed in his hands as he choked the life out of him.

Azaan and Link followed Dimitri as they rode horses through the fields of Hyrule, the rain of blood never letting up for a second. They made sure to keep an eye on him at all times in case he broke down or snapped again. They wouldn't be able to handle him going mental, but who else would be able to at least try?

They had ridden for a while and came to the Bridge over Lake Hylia. Dimitri stopped them here.

"We waste time by taking the long way to the bank down there." Dimitri dismounted and jumped up on the edge of the bridge. "We'll jump down and swim to Fyer's cannon."

Link dismounted his horse and stood up on the edge beside his brother. They looked to Azaan.

"You're crazy." Azaan dismounted as well. Neither Dimitri nor Link said anything as he joined them. "I don't know if I'm going to survive, it's several miles down… I don't know how you two are going to survive."

"While he was gone from Zelda" Dimitri's face twisted at the sound of her name. Link motioned to Dimitri. "He learned how to breathe underwater and can move quicker in the water than on land, like a Zora."

"Amazing." Azaan said with admiration. But then he looked down again. "This is stupid."

"I don't care. I've done worse." Dimitri made up his mind. Dimitri and Link moved as one and they dove head first off the bridge. Azaan watched the brothers fall to the lake's surface. He counted his blessings and dove right after them.

Dimitri kept his arms ahead of his body, ready to glide through the water. The fall was quicker than expected the with the Twili blood weighing them down. As soon as Dimitri's fingers touched water the first, he silently slipped beneath the waves and let the cool water wash the blood away. He felt no extra weight from the blood when it covered him. The guilt he suffered through weighed him down enough as it was.

His body adapted to the water and he settled on the bed of the lake. He breathed the air through the water, like he had been taught by Ralis a few years ago, before he had been corrupted. He saw Link and Azaan swimming to the floating barges in the distance. They didn't worry about him because he thrived in the water.

He sent impulses through his body, as Ralis had taught him, and began to slide through the water. He could reach such speeds in the water the water wouldn't actually touch him, it would move around him. He surged through the water like lightning.

The water was beginning to take on a darker hue by the minute. The blood was mixing and making the water even heavier. His mind went into overdrive, thinking of any plan that could end this as quickly as possible and get everyone with him out alive. It was guaranteed that he would kill Ralis, anyone else, it would be spur of the moment whether he would kill them or not.

He decided there wasn't time to mess around and swam up the barge, leaving Link and Azaan behind. He pulled himself up and felt the blood continue to pour.

"God damn… you would think they would run out of blood at this point." Dimitri wiped his face and neck clean. He stepped under an awning on the side of the barge. This was where he had found Rusl hanging, dead. He was killed by Ralis when he refused to join the Twili. He had buried him at the bottom of the lake and began his first encounter with Twili Ralis.

He walked around to where Fyer usually manned his cannon. He looked around, but saw nothing. He sat down, waiting for his companions, and looked up into the sky. His eyes met with Fyer's hanging corpse, tied to the end of the cannon pointed over the wall between Lake Hylia and Gerudo Desert.

"Figures." Dimitri climbed the edge of the cannon and cut the body down. "You deserved better, you stupid bastard."

He examined the body and scrutinized every detail. He had been hung upside down for an extended period of time and then had his throat slit. He never had a chance.

"Is that Fyer?" Link and Azaan pulled themselves out of the water.

"Yeah. Someone knew we were coming. Do either of you know how to use this cannon?" Dimitri looked to them.

"Um…. Not really…" Link scratched his head and grimaced at the dead body. "But I am tired of seeing dead bodies…"

"Me too." Azaan went to the controls, which consisted of a crank, a music box lined with Oocca cut outs, and keys to what looked like a pipe organ. "Check it out. Brain surgery."

"You're telling me…" Dimitri and Link came up beside him. Link couldn't help but feel like an idiot and sensed another feeling of irony coming on.

"You're saying that the three of us, mighty warriors we may be, have no fucking idea how to work this thing?" Link had a feeling that he was going to get slapped or something but nothing came.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Azaan pushed a couple keys and turned the crank a little bit. The cannon rotated slightly and angled slightly upward. "Whoa now… we may have something."

His hands worked the keys, experimenting a little bit here and there. He was able to aim the cannon up over the wall.

"How do we fire this thing?" Link remembered the times he had used it that he needed a bomb for a blast propellant, and the person needed to be in the chamber. But the chamber was big enough for all three of them to be in it. He found a blast port in the back. "I'm guessing this is where the propellant goes…"

"We'll test it first." Dimitri said before Azaan got into the chamber. "I just want to make sure I don't end up eating dirt at hundreds of miles an hour."

Link threw Fyer's body into the chamber and put a bomb into the port. They stood back and watched as it fired the man's body high into the air. They watched it arc under the falling blood. The weight of the blood forced the body to lose altitude, and it slammed into the wall, only feet from the top.

"Ooh, so close…" Link hadn't thought about the effect of the raining blood.

Azaan adjusted the cannon a little bit higher, hopefully for a timelier drop. They climbed in and Link got ready to dash in after setting the bomb. Link set the fuse and raced into the chamber and sealed it off. They held their breath and prayed.

The blast rattled them to the bone, sending them airborne like leaves on a breeze. They kept their posture straight in the air to decrease wind resistance and surface area for the blood to fall on. They spent what felt like an eternity in the air. Finally the wall came back into view. They sailed over it, and landed on hot sands.

Dimitri rolled over after landing and found that the blood wasn't falling in the desert. The sun hung overhead, blinding and horribly torrid.

"At least that shit is out of the way." Dimitri checked on his comrades. They were fine. Both were a little shaken, but so was Dimitri. No one's perfect.

Ashei lay on the edge of the stone outcroppings of the Twili palace. The triforce shone above them, except for the triforce of wisdom. She knew from this that Zelda was now dead, just as Shad was ordered to do. But she knew that he was dead too. Dimitri wouldn't let him live after killing Zelda.

"What do you think?" Ralis said against the wind blowing in their face. Ashei was several yards away, on the very edge of the jutting stone. She lay on her side, with her back to him.

"We're dead." Ashei didn't move. Her body was pushed back and forth by the wind.

"I doubt that." Ralis laughed. "Dimitri is the one who will die. After what he did, I will make sure he dies, unless Auru takes care of him first."

"Whatever you think, Ralis." Ashei couldn't stand him and what the darkness had done to him. Ralis was quickly getting fed up with her.

"I would advise you not to tempt me." Ralis grabbed her shoulder and put her on her back. He put his hand around her throat. "We will win. I will watch Dimitri die!"

Ashei said nothing, and looked up at the angry Ralis with empty, Twili eyes.

"What is the matter with you?" Ralis shook her. "What has happened to your drive and your eagerness to kill?"

"It's there…" Ashei looked away from him.

"Oh really… let me guess. Your object of hate has shifted then… You want to kill someone else." Ralis figured.

"You are smarter than you look." Ashei grabbed his wrist and removed it from her neck.

"And who do you want to kill now?" Ralis blocked her way back into the palace.

"It's not important… I don't care to mention." Ashei shot him a weak glare. She tried to push him out of the way, but he countered, grabbing her arms.

"Come on now. Who is it?" Ralis pressured her. He backed her to the wall and held her there. "Is it the one who personally tortured you? Is that who you want to kill? Do you even know who it was?"

"Shut up and let go." Ashei tried to free her arms but he pressed her harder.

"Do you know who it was?" Ralis asked again.

Ashei stopped struggling and hung her head. She had locked it all away for a reason. The memories killed her from the inside when she thought about them.

"We both know who it was." Ralis didn't let up. He let go of one of her hands and lifted her head up. "They're here. You know that, don't you?"

Ashei closed her eyes. She couldn't stand it anymore. This pain was just too much. She prayed Dimitri would arrive soon.

Azaan and Link stayed behind Dimitri as they traversed the desert. He knew the desert better and decided he should lead the way. No one had said a word since they survived the cannon blast. They kept trekking into the heat and mirages which they had learned to ignore.

"Look." Dimitri pointed as they walked. They followed his arm to see the six emblems of the sacred realm standing above the horizon. The beacon for travelers to lead them to the Arbiter's Grounds.

They were almost halfway there. They came to a large fissure in the ground. Dimitri grabbed both and Link and Azaan in each hand, and threw them over the fissure. They landed softly on the sand on the other side, and watched as Dimitri jumped it gracefully.

"Show off." Link tried to lighten the mood, but no one responded. Nothing survived in this desert. Link had been through here a couple times, and they were nearly unbearable trips. He knew that Dimitri had lived out here years ago, and now lived here with the Great Fairy.

Dimitri's scarred skin began to darken with the sun. Azaan was sweating heavily and started to slow down under his heavy armor. Link's eyes hurt from the glare of the sun on the sand. Dimitri started to lead them into a mass of decrepit buildings.

"We'll rest in there." Dimitri said as he ignored his burning skin. They walked into a stone house with a busted down wall.

"I remember this place." Link looked around as he lay out on the cool stone floor. "This is where I fought that one idiot that rode the boar…"

"Yeah." Dimitri leaned against the wall next to the huge break.

Azaan collapsed once he entered the old structure. He didn't move, but his breath was heard, beating against the ground.

Dimitri went to him and rolled him over onto his back. He ripped his breastplate off, allowing him to breathe easier. He then removed the greaves Azaan wore on his legs. It reduced the heat his body was exposed to.

"Thank you." Azaan caught his breath. He felt so much lighter now. All he had now was his chain mail, which was relatively light, but strong. Then again, what they were fighting, it doesn't matter what you have to defend yourself.

Link soon dozed off, and Azaan slipped into sleep to cope with the heat. Dimitri would let them sleep. He kept a watch in case anyone had been waiting for them. The sun finally set and shadows played over them. Dimitri sensed that something was out there, moving closer.

"Link, Azaan. Wake up." Dimitri shook them from their slumber. Neither would wake up. He kept shaking them, but they remained unconscious. "Damn it! Wake up."

Before Dimitri could do anything else, something ripped through the building. He couldn't see anything in the darkness. He grabbed his brother and friend and ran outside. He set them against another building and turned to face the threat.

"I'm sorry friend… but I have no choice but to kill you." He watched Auru step out of the now leveled building. Behind him stood a large Twili being, about the size of five men. It wore markings on its flesh that sealed its power. "I wish it would have worked out differently."

"So do I." Dimitri looked back at his comrades one last time. He drew both swords and decided to make the first move. He ran past Auru and challenged the giant Twili head on.

He stuck with both swords, but the Twili caught one in each hand. As Dimitri tried to break his grip, the Twili kicked him in the chest. He lost both of his swords and flew backward into a stone wall. The Twili let out a malicious cry and charged toward him.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" Dimitri asked as he watched the beast come for him. He sidestepped quickly, to let the Twili hit the wall, but it reacted quicker than he did, and it hit him again in the chest. Dimitri had the air forced out of his lungs.

He slid across the sand and stopped as the Twili had run ahead of him and kicked him straight into the air. This beast was overwhelming him so easily. What was wrong with him?

Dimitri tried to stabilize his fall, but the Twili jumped to meet him. Dimitri lashed out with his fists, missing every time. The Twili bared its fangs and grabbed Dimitri in a death hug. It grinded him with its powerful arms against its chest.

"What is the matter?" Auru called from below. "Where is your power of the Holy Emissary?"

"Shut… up…!" Dimitri head butt the demon, splitting his head open on its hardened skull. It simply took the beating and hissed at him. After Dimitri almost knocked himself out, the Twili twisted them in the air. Dimitri was helpless to stop it.

The Twili let go seconds before Dimitri slammed into the ground. Sand was sent into the air, and Dimitri lay there, broken and face down. He watched the beast land beside Auru, several body lengths away.

"What happened to you?" Auru showed actual concern. He walked to him and turned him over. Dimitri looked up at the older man without hate. Auru checked his body. He had six broken ribs, a cracked pelvis, a dislocated shoulder, and the other arm was broken. "What happened to the Holy Emissary?"

"I'm broken…" Dimitri admitted. "I think the emotional trauma has left me weak…"

Dimitri coughed up blood and wiped it away with his broken arm.

"Why not go ahead and kill me?" Dimitri looked at the Twili standing over him. It brayed for his blood.

"Because it must heed my commands… And I can't kill you." Auru confided. "I was supposed to kill you and Link. We didn't know Azaan was with you though. I was supposed to kill both you and your brother and release the triforce of power and the triforce of courage."

"Then what?" Dimitri felt internal bleeding.

"We would reassemble the triforce in someone else that we would control." Auru explained.

"And who would that be?" Dimitri looked straight into the moon's light.

"Who do you think?" Auru checked his eyes for trauma to his brain.

"Ralis?" Dimitri guessed.

"No sign of brain trauma." Auru assessed. "You'll be ok."

"……" Dimitri looked at him closely. "So what happens now?"

"You will either try to fight again and most likely die…" Auru shrugged. "Or you can join the rest of us in the Twili realm, along with Link and Azaan. Ashei wants to see you again."

"What choice do I have?" Dimitri tried to lift himself up, but his arms gave out. The Twili growled in a low tone. "Did you do something to Link and Azaan? They wouldn't wake up."

"Yes. Once they entered the shadows of the house, they were under my control. But I let them fall asleep anyway. I let you be the one who decided their fate." Auru snapped and the Twili grabbed Link and Azaan carefully and slung them over its shoulder. "You made the smart choice anyway."

"Whatever." Dimitri winced in pain when the Twili picked him and held him in its hand, careful not to apply to much pressure. "I don't think I trust being in this thing's grip."

"Don't worry." Auru assured him. "It will be fine. I can send it back to Hell with a mere thought. It will not cross me."

"Whatever you say." Dimitri said as they moved past the ancient buildings. Auru led the way into the Arbiter's Grounds and the Twili followed, carrying the three warriors.

They made their way through the dungeon that Link had cleared a year a half ago, and that Dimitri traveled through six months ago. Oh how things keep ending up in this hell hole.

"Are you ready?" Auru asked when they reached the chamber that used to house Stallord. Then Link defeated him and left him lying. Liggs had revived him six months ago, but Ashei took care of him that time. Stallord's remains were used to make the new Twili mirror, which covered the floor of his crypt. "It's a good thing we already have a volunteer to use as a sacrifice."

Auru pushed the doors open and revealed the mirror as Dimitri had left it. Pure and casting off a dark hue. In the center of the mirror, sat Midna, bound in chains. Dimitri was glad Link was still unconscious.

"Don't tell me…" Dimitri knew what Auru was going to do.

"I'm sorry Dimitri. I have been told to do so. Along with something else." Auru waved his hand toward the Twili. Link and Azaan slowly awakened. They looked around, and then realized where they were.

"What the hell is going on?!" Link was about to jump off the Twili, but stopped when he saw Midna. "Midna?"

"Link!" She cried for her lover. Link bounded off the Twili's shoulder but was caught in midair by its long arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Link asked, turning to Auru. The Twili set down Azaan and Dimitri. Dimitri crumpled to the ground.

"I'm following orders." Auru pulled his sword from his waist. The Twili moved Link closer so he could see what was about to happen. Auru grabbed the chain, forcing Midna to come to him. "My apologies, Twilit Princess."

"Do something!!" Link yelled back to Azaan and Dimitri. Dimitri cursed himself for being near death. It had never stopped him before. Azaan grabbed one of Dimitri's swords and charged after Auru.

The Twili batted him away without looking. Azaan flew all the way into the far wall of the crypt. Along the wall were spikes that gouged into Azaan's back. He hung on the spikes, not moving.

Auru said something quietly to himself and looked Midna in the eye. He looked back at Link and his Twili eyes showed all the regret he had.

"Don't do this, Auru!" Link begged. He tried to break free of the Twili, but it was futile. "Auru! Please! Take my life! Just let her go!!"

"I can't do that my friend." Auru raised his sword to her throat.

Dimitri could only watch as Auru paused, rethinking what he was doing. It was the opening that turned out to be the deciding factor.

"Link!!" Azaan yelled from behind everyone. He threw Dimitri's Claymore all the way across the room. Dimitri watched it travel sporadically in the air, finally coming to a stop in the back of the Twili's hand that held Link. Azaan fell to his knees and was bleeding horribly from his back.

Everything slowed down as the next couple of moments played out. Link dropped from the Twili's hand and drew his sword at the same time. The Twili howled in pain, ignoring the man clothed in green and spilling with rage. Auru pulled his blade to spill Midna's blood, but before it cut the skin, Link cut Auru's arm off at the elbow.

Auru's eyes grew large with panic. He turned as his arm and sword fell to the floor. Link's face was full of bloodlust and his eyes seared with divine glow. The triforce on his left hand shined as he brought his sword around and caught Auru across his chest. Midna moved in time to avoid blood splatter.

Auru fell backward, grabbing at nothing. He ignored the Twili still howling behind him and grabbed Auru by his gray hair. He reared back with his sword, gathering strength to take his head clean off.

"Link!!" Dimitri cried at his brother. Link hesitated and let go of Auru. He knew what Dimitri was doing. Link ducked in time to avoid the powerful arm of the Twili. Link felt new energy surge through him, and began to feel power he'd never felt before.

The Twili ran for him, but he only saw it in slow motion. Before the monster had taken one step, Link was already in the air behind it. He planted his sword in the Twili's massive spine and twisted it. Blood spilled over him and the Twili.

"Fuck you." Link sent a wave of power through his blade into the demon's body. It erupted in golden light and the blood evaporated. Link landed on his feet and sheathed his now glowing sword.

Dimitri knew what had just happened. His powers of the Holy Emissary had passed onto Link. He knew something was wrong. He wasn't going to heal as fast now. It was up to Link to kill Ralis.

Dimitri looked behind him and saw the Azaan was crawling to him. His back was bleeding but he would survive. He saw Link cut Midna's chains and hold her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you came." Midna kissed him. She cried into his chest as he whispered in her ear. They stayed close in their embrace for several minutes.

They separated but held hands as they went to Dimitri and Azaan. Both had sustained major injuries.

"Are you ok? I didn't notice what shape you were in…" Link looked his brother over. Link remembered that this whole time, his shoulder had been dislocated, but it hadn't bothered him since Lake Hylia. "Is there anything you can do for him, Midna?"

"I can fix the shoulder and the internal bleeding, but the arm and ribs, I can't do." Midna looked next to Azaan. "I can heal his back, and that's all I see wrong beside still having heat exhaustion."

"Well… please take care of them." Link kissed her again and turned back to Auru. He walked to him and sat beside him. "Was it worth it?"

"Nothing is ever worth it." Auru held his bleeding chest. "But I couldn't disobey the voice or I would have been possessed by it and things would have turned out worse."

"I understand." Link said somberly. "Then you hesitated on purpose…"

"I was hoping something happened, and it did." Auru smiled. "I would have most likely killed myself if I had taken her life, or one of yours."

Link sat there, saying nothing, thinking of the power he had just commanded.

"You realize what has happened?" Auru asked while Link pondered. "The power of the Holy Emissary was passed onto you. Dimitri was deemed incapable of carrying out the task of ridding this land of the darkness, and the power was passed on to you…"

"I didn't want it. Dimitri is much stronger than I and more than capable of doing it." Link hated the thought of his brother slowly losing everything. After all he had done for this land, and its people… "I know he would be able to do it."

"Not in the shape he's in anymore." Auru made him see the situation as it really was. "You are the only one who can help this land has now."

"Damn it… I didn't want this." Link finally rejected the call of his kingdom.

"Listen to me Link." Auru reached up and grabbed Link by his collar with a bloodied hand. "You have to do this! Ralis isn't the biggest threat anymore."

"What?" Link stopped. "What are you talking about?"

Auru convulsed violently. Link tried to hold him down.

"The voice is trying to kill me!!" Auru said, in the worst of pain. "Ralis is being controlled by a God!!"

Auru spit up blood and couldn't speak anymore. Dimitri, Azaan, and Midna hurried over to the man. He kept convulsing, going through his death throes. He cried in pain until finally, he slipped into his death. With the blood spilled and the life taken, the mirror began to cast off a dim glow.

"We're being transported!" Dimitri looked down at his own dark reflection. Before they could react, all four of them were transported from the dark crypt.

Ralis stood outside, letting the glow of the incomplete triforce cover him like a cloak. It wouldn't be long before the triforce of wisdom had returned when it found someone worthy.

"How long are you going to stare at it?" Ashei came down the stairs slowly. She couldn't stand the way he longed for the triforce. "It's never going to be yours, no matter what you do."

"Shut up." Ralis felt like turning around and beating some respect into her. "Eventually, you will get on my nerves and I will kill you."

"Go ahead, _Twili General_." Ashei provoked him. It had been too long since Auru left. Something hadn't gone right. "I'm sure Dimitri is already dead by now."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Ralis said with an air of supreme confidence. "He is as smart as he is strong, you know this."

"I don't think I care anymore." Ashei burned with a lust to see his blood spilled. Ralis turned to her in confusion. "I just want to see you die."

"So you finally tell me who you want dead." Ralis smiled.

"You're not the only one." Ashei told him. "The other is in there sitting on the throne. I'm going to watch them die too."

"Very bold." Ralis still smiled. "It's too bad it won't happen."

"Think what you want." Ashei said as a dark light appeared out in front of them.

"Here they come." Ralis turned his back to Ashei and watched as Dimitri, Link, Midna, and a man he recognized as the captain of the knights of Hyrule… Azaan or something like that. "Welcome, my dear guests, back to the Twili realm… a place I know each of you had never hoped to see again."

"I don't want to hear it." Dimitri stood up and felt his body feel like it was going to fall apart. Midna had stopped the bleeding and put his shoulder back in place, but he still had nine broken bones.

"I knew you would make it, Dimitri. Your stubborn personality suits you so well. Perhaps you are ready for our last battle?"

Dimitri turned to Link and gave him a look that Link understood without being told. They weren't going to let Ralis know anything was different.

"Let Ashei take my brother and friends into the palace." Dimitri drew both of his swords, ready and willing to fight, if only to stall for time.

"Have at it." Ralis let them pass. He looked at Dimitri with a nearly boyish glee. "Finally I get to see how much more powerful I have become. You will pay for what you did to my face."

"I still think it makes you look better than you did before." Dimitri tried to taunt him. He watched the others enter the palace and he prayed to everything he knew to let them all survive this.

Ashei led Link, Azaan, and Midna deeper into the palace. Link and Midna knew where they were going, but Azaan was completely lost. Link didn't trust Ashei, even though Dimitri did and after what she had been through. She was just as easily controllable as Auru, Shad, and Rusl were.

"Link, is Dimitri ok?" Ashei said, slowing down to walk beside him.

"He's fine." Link shouldered the question. She knew something wasn't right by the way Link was acting.

"What happened to Zelda?" Ashei didn't think that Shad had really done it, but the triforce of wisdom was gone.

Link stopped in the middle of a narrow hallway. He looked down and then to Midna. He picked Ashei up by the throat and put her into the wall.

"Don't say her name around me, or Dimitri!" Link ordered her with pain in his voice. "We couldn't save her from your 'fucking plan' and Shad killed her. He did himself a favor and killed himself after she died. There wouldn't have been anything to stop Dimitri or myself from ripping that bastard to shreds!! So I advise you to shut your fucking mouth, and lead us to who is really pulling the strings!!"

Ashei looked at Azaan and then Midna. They shared similar expressions and realized that Dimitri wasn't the one to worry about anymore. Link was the changed one. He let her go crisply and pushed her ahead.

Ashei felt Link's eyes on her back. If Link was the powerful one now, what was going on between Dimitri and Ralis? Surely Dimitri didn't lose his strength.

Ashei came to the door of the throne room. She pushed the door open and let Link, Azaan, and Midna file in. Their eyes all went straight to the throne. What they saw was confusing, and most of all, not possible.

"Welcome." The Great Fairy called from her spot beside the throne. "I hope you all enjoyed your trip."

"You bastard!! You're dead!!" Link recognized who sat on the throne.

"I was." The man rose and showed the glowing cut in his abdomen. "But then I found a little help in the protective deity of Hyrule."

Ganon had returned.

Dimitri had lost all hope once he lost his other sword. Ralis had broken them with his bare hands. He never thought anything in the world was strong enough to break his Claymores. Ralis had grown so much in strength, he didn't know if he would have been able to beat him before he lost his powers.

"I know what you're thinking." Ralis punched him in his broken ribs, puncturing several organs again. Dimitri was a dead man if he didn't get help. "How did I become so strong?"

"Stop gloating and kill me." Dimitri knew he had a big mouth since he had gained alliance with the darkness.

"So willing to die? You're just like Ashei." Ralis drove his knee through Dimitri's jaw with enough force to rattle Hyrule Castle. Dimitri caved in a fell down, ignoring his sworn enemy.

"Ashei is much better than I am." Dimitri said, assessing that his jaw wasn't broken. "She gave her life for someone, which is something you will ever do."

"Oh come off it." Ralis brought his heel down onto Dimitri's abdomen, causing further damage. "She gave her life to you because she had already died. One woman is going to die three deaths. Get over it."

"But that third death won't be before yours." Dimitri cringed and writhed in pain.

"What are you going to do? You're nothing compared to me now. What happened to you, poor Demi?" Ralis shifted his voice to where it was an exact copy of Zelda's. "Is my loving knight going to just quit on me?"

Dimitri pulled himself up to a sitting position and grabbed Ralis' cloak underneath his shroud. He pulled with all his strength, but it didn't bother Ralis one bit.

"Don't ever do that again." Dimitri tried to sound forceful, but he couldn't muster up the will power to do anything.

"Poor Demi." Ralis kept playing his mind games and pulled away from Dimitri. "How are you going to get out of this one?"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Dimitri fell back and stared up at the triforce. He felt the presence of the triforce of power on the back of his left hand flickering. It was about to deem him unworthy and let him die. He thought about why Ralis would have turned back to the Twili. He had everything he wanted. Acceptance, influence, love from the ruler of Hyrule… wait… "Why did you become a Twili again?"

"Because I wanted the power." Ralis returned to his normal voice. "And I wanted to kill you with that power."

"Why? What had I done?" Dimitri knew Ralis knew the easy answer.

"Because of what you did six months ago." Ralis looked up at the triforce like Dimitri was doing. "I was defeated and hungered for revenge."

"That would have explained you turning after coming back to life, but not after this period of time. Why did you turn all of a sudden?" Dimitri was whittling his confidence and arrogance away to what he thought was the real problem.

"You came back all of a sudden, and it reawakened Zelda's memories of you… and how much she loved you…" Ralis averted his eyes from the shining triforce. "And it awakened the memories of me and how much I hated you."

"I see… You wanted to take Zelda back from me…" Dimitri had been right. "And yet you let them kill her."

Ralis faltered, as if he had just realized she was really dead. He shook for a second and then collapsed on the ground. He put his hands to his forehead and rocked back and forth on the ground. In all his Twili glory, the greatest warrior the Twili had ever seen, Ralis began to bawl. He shook with grief and flailed violently.

Dimitri knew the feeling, and he wished he could have done the same thing, but he had a job to do. Every time he remembered her, he died a little on the inside. Every time he heard her name or someone speak of her, he grew colder.

"How could I have let that happen?!" Ralis cried his eyes out. The shroud of darkness around his body began to dissipate. "I'm sorry Zelda!! I'm sorry!! I should have done something!!"

"It's too late now." Dimitri rolled over and crawled on his knees slowly to the grieving Ralis. Ralis stopped flailing as Dimitri grew closer. "She's dead now and nothing can bring her back now."

"The Great Fairy can." Ralis said with hope in his eyes.

"I severely doubt she would at this point." Dimitri sensed that something had changed about her.

"She's in the palace right now! I can go ask her!" Ralis truly believed that he would have his day. Dimitri watched him jump up and run into the palace.

Dimitri remained on his knees and fists, struggling to stay conscious. His vision began to blur, and pain began to overtake him. He saw a hand slide over his and he looked up. Ashei was kneeling beside him. She grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. He smiled gently and then fell onto her shoulder.

"You did your best." Ashei said in his ear. "And sometimes it's not enough…"

"Yeah, I know…" Dimitri tried to catch his breath. She put her arms around him and stood him up. His tall, muscular body was heavy against her slight, slim frame. She used her Twili powers to gain strength and carried him on her back into the palace.

"What the hell have you done?!" Link yelled at the Great Fairy that stood beside Ganon. Link unsheathed his sword and prepared for the worst.

"I have done what this land of Twili needed. They need someone to restore its power and lead them." The Great Fairy touched Ganon's shoulder. "He is more than capable of doing just that."

"Do you remember what he did when he controlled Zant?" Midna, the former Twili ruler, spoke up.

"Yes. And he might do it again." The Great Fairy shrugged. "He doesn't have the triforce of power anymore. My dear Dimitri has it now. I'm sure that he has easily killed Ralis by now."

Just as she said that, the door flew open. Ralis stepped in, his shroud of darkness floated about him. He showed no sign of struggle.

"Where is Dimitri?" Link tried to stop the former Zora prince, bought he pushed past him.

He stopped at Ganon's and the Great Fairy's feet and bowed.

"What has happened to Dimitri?" The Great Fairy asked, very curious.

"I believe he is incapacitated." Ralis remained bowing.

"Is he dead?" Ganon's deep voice inquired.

"I would think at this point." Ralis informed him. "He was bleeding very badly internally, completely broken arm, almost all his ribs were broken, and cracked skull like he gave me."

"Do you know for sure that he is dead?" Ganon grew impatient.

"……" Ralis thought for a second. "I do not."  
"Then go back and make sure that bastard is dead!" Ganon declared.

Ralis didn't move. Ganon began to get angry. He grabbed Ralis and slung him across the room.

"Go take care of it!!" Ganon barked at Ralis. Ralis got up slowly, and gave Ganon a death glare. "What is your problem?!"

"Great Fairy… your Holiness." Ralis ignored the dark god and spoke directly to Hyrule's guardian entity. He walked back up to them and Ganon raised his hand to hit him again. The Great Fairy touched his arm, a signal to stop. "Please revive Zelda and bring her back to me. I beg you! Let me have what I became a Twili again for."

"You have served very honorably." The Great Fairy traveled down the steps and stood in front of Ralis. She touched his shoulder, and the shroud of darkness vanished at the presence of her holy light. Her wings streamed with vibrant turquoise and Ralis felt light go through the room. "You deserve to have your wish, Ralis."

"Are you really going to bring her back?" Ganon stepped forward to stop her. She put her hand out at him and silenced him.

"And that wish to be with her is granted." The Great Fairy smiled, and then drove her hand into Ralis' chest. Ralis seized as she ripped out his heart. Her holy body was covered in Zora blood as she let his lifeless body drop. "I am an honest goddess. I never lie to my subjects. What I say, I do."

Ganon laughed as she stepped on Ralis' heart and walked back up the stairs to him.

"You are proving to be quite the ally." Ganon smiled at the goddess. "I hope I never anger you like that."

"You'll know if you do." The Great Fairy walked past him and the throne. She left and went into the room behind the throne. "I'm tired. Please do not disturb me. Ganon, you know what to do."

"Yes I do." Ganon cracked his knuckles and drew the sword that had sealed him so long ago in the sacred realm. It gave off a pale blue light and emitted pain like a disease. "It looks like a rematch, Link. Show me what you have become."

"Gladly." Link ran at him head on. They met at the foot of the stairs with a shower of sparks from steel on steel. Their swordplay was so fast, they saw nothing but a blur of blue light and sparks flying from where their swords hit. The sound of metal hitting metal was nearly deafening.

Azaan drew his sword, ready to charge in and help. Midna watched as the one she loved battled the one who had once taken her kingdom. Azaan flexed his legs, and moved toward the two combatants.

"Stay out of this!" Link ducked under Ganon's flurry of swings.

"This is no time for pride!" Azaan stopped.

"It's not pride! If you got involved, I would be too distracted trying to make sure you stay alive!" Link said as he slash horizontally. Ganon parried the strike, and punched past Link's guard. When Ganon's punch landed, Link felt the dark energy spread into his body, leaving his body numb and unresponsive.

"You're foolish for letting your guard down." Ganon knocked Link's sword away from him. He used the momentum of his backswing to kick Link's knees out from the side. Link fell to his knees as Ganon spun about. "This was too easy."

Link watched the blue blur grow closer, seeing it on a path to behead him cleanly. He closed his eyes, wishing for a miracle. He heard the sound of metal colliding and a grunt of surprise. He opened them to see Azaan holding Ganon's blade at bay.

"Get out of the way!!" Azaan yelled as he threw Ganon's sword to the ground with a difficult sword technique. Link used all his strength to move his body out of the way. He heaved himself over to Midna, who looked after him while he regained feeling.

Link watched Azaan battle with the dark god, Ganon. Azaan was much more adept with a sword that previously thought. He had disarmed Ganon, and was now scoring several consecutive hits on his body. Azaan was quick too, not letting Ganon reach his sword and kicking it away every time he reached.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" Ganon cried as Azaan slashed down the length of his broad back. Azaan took his feet out from under him with a sweep of his leg. Ganon slammed his face into the stone floor. "You bastard! How dare you!"

Azaan remained silent and began to work away at Ganon's back. Ganon used his powerful arms to spin himself around launch himself toward his sword. Azaan let him go this time, and braced himself. Ganon picked up his illuminating blade, and laughed.

"And what makes you so confident?" Azaan finally spoke.

"Because the Great Fairy endowed this sword that sealed me in the sacred realm. The only sword that can come close to its power is the Master Sword, but it is now gone." Ganon strutted toward Azaan. Azaan wasn't impressed.

Ganon fazed out of sight, moving at high speed. Azaan closed his eyes and listened for the footfalls. To his dismay, there were none. Ganon reappeared above him, swinging straight down for his head. Azaan heard his movement and only had an instant to raise his sword over his head and deflect the strike.

"How did you react that quickly?!" Ganon landed on his feet.

"I'm using what I learned from Dimitri." Azaan held his sword arm lax and waited for the next strike. He looked over at Link, being cautious of Ganon. "Worried about me getting killed?"

"My apologies." Link gave a determined smile. He regained control of his body and stood up. He looked at Midna who nodded. "It's my turn to get back in the fight."

Ashei put Dimitri in a large bed and sat beside him on it. He seemed to have slipped into a pain induced coma. She still held his hand. She felt guilty for all of this happening. The lives that were taken, the damage done. She thought about what Dimitri had lost. He had lost his first love Zelda, and she knew that he lost his lover, the Great Fairy… she had turned. And she sensed that he had lost his powers of the Holy Emissary.

"Why, Demi? Why did all of this have to happen because of me?" Ashei begged for forgiveness. "I killed so many… and I ruined this kingdom. We killed Zelda… Rusl is dead, and with him, Ordon is gone. Shad is dead and Auru is dead. And here you are, on the verge of death. I'm so sorry."

"Begging like that isn't going to help you." A woman's voice said from the doorway. Ashei looked to see the Great Fairy with her wings folded slightly. "You have no hope to be forgiven. We just used you like a puppet. Now you will suffer that same fate in Hell you fell prey to again, again, and again."

"Shut up!" Ashei looked back to Dimitri.

"How cute. You have fallen for him, haven't you?" The Great Fairy gracefully neared the edge of the bed.

"I told you to just shut up!!" Ashei ignored her words… not admitting the truth.

"He's going to die, whether or not it's in this bed, he is going to die." The Great Fairy came up and stroked the hair out of his face. Ashei slapped her hand as hard as she could. The Great Fairy reflexively backed away.

"You have no right to touch him! You betrayed him! He came to kill us because he wanted to protect you! And you're the one behind all this!!" Ashei screamed at her.

"You're just mad because of what I let Ganon do to you." The Great Fairy struck several nerves in one swoop. Ashei immediately froze and looked to the ground. "Ah… did we hit something?"

Ashei said nothing and the Great Fairy sat beside her. She stroked Ashei's face like a mother would.

"You were so helpless. You couldn't stop him." Her voice sounded so sweet and understanding. Ashei had locked those memories away, and now she was being forced to relive them. The Great Fairy was using mind games to beat her, and it was working. "The way he held you down… and the way you screamed."

Ashei felt tears run down her face as she remembered the way Ganon had raped her. She remembered the look in his eyes…

"I'm sorry, Ashei." The Great Fairy said sympathetically. She put her arms around the traumatized girl. She put her lips next to Ashei's ear and smiled. "You know that if you survive all this, he's going to do it again."

Ashei knew it was true. That was just how it was.

"Dear Ashei, you can't let it happen again." The Great Fairy planted the idea in her head. "I think the only way to escape it would be to kill yourself."

Ashei nodded. The Great Fairy kissed her forehead and left her there to think. She smiled as she left Ashei broken.

"Good bye, Ashei." The Great Fairy closed the door behind her.

Ashei sat in complete silence. Her tears didn't stop, the image of Ganon burned into her mind. She finally moved and turned to Dimitri. She leaned over him. She put her hands gently on his scarred chest.

"Dimitri… I am dead in whatever I do now. I hope that you're able to take care of things once I am gone." She let tears drop on his chest and neck. She began to shake, and moved her hands to the sides of his face. She finally realized that she had fallen in love with him. She leaned down and kissed his lips. After she kissed him, she couldn't stop another wave of tears. "I love you Dimitri! And I have since I gave you my life six months ago. I wanted to have you for myself, but you had the Great Fairy. And Zelda is still in your heart, I know. There is no room for me in your heart, but I hope that when you awaken, you realize how much room in my heart I had for you."

She got up from the bed, not taking her eyes off him. She drew her sword from her hip and held out her wrist. She closed her eyes and put the sharp edge against her skin.

Before she could do anything, she felt a burning on the back of her hand. She dropped her sword and clutched her left hand. It felt as if someone was branding her. She held her breath when she looked at her hand, and saw a golden triangle seared into her hand.

"Oh my God…" Ashei said with baited breath. On her hand was the triforce of wisdom. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Link and Azaan had fended off all of Ganon's attacks and backed him into to a wall. Link's hand shone with the triforce of courage and his blade was aglow with the power of the Holy Emissary.

"How did all of this happen?" Ganon howled. Azaan nodded to Link.

"Because Dimitri passed his power on to me. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do it, so he chose us to do it." Link stepped forth and raised his sword. "And I hope you like the sacred realm because I'm sending you back."

Link raised his sword hilt up, as to drive the blade into the glowing gash in his abdomen. As his sword came down, he was paralyzed by a great aura. He looked around, and saw nothing.

"Yes! The triforce of wisdom has found its rightful host!" Ganon raised his left hand in the air, waiting for the golden triangle to be branded into his hand. After a minute went by, Ganon realized it. He banged his fist down into the stone. It had not chosen him after all. "Damn it!! Who did it choose?!"

"Obviously not you." Midna said from a good distance away.

"Shut up, witch." Ganon barked. Link was still paralyzed and Ganon moved out of the way. Right after he moved, Link's sword came crashing down where Ganon had been. "It's a good thing the triforce immobilizes the other pieces once it has found the host for a piece."

"You got lucky." Link kicked Ganon in the ribs and tried again.

"No. You got lucky." Something grabbed his sword from behind him. It threw him backward into Azaan. He got up quickly and saw the Great Fairy had returned. "You were making too much noise so I decided to see what was going on. And here you are, Ganon, being defeated by the one you said you would never lose to again."

"But he has gained the powers of the Holy Emissary!" Ganon quipped.

"I don't care!" The Great Fairy snapped at him. "I made you a dark God!! Act like it!"

Ganon said nothing and picked his sword back up. He went first for Azaan, but Link stepped in the way and struck him to the floor.

"You know what, Ganon?" The Great Fairy used her wings and flew over them. "You have turned out to be a disappointment. Why not crank up the darkness in your soul?"

She cast darkness over him, and watched her magic work. He grew in size and power while Link and Azaan watched in horror.

"Midna! Go find Dimitri and Ashei! Stay with them!" Link turned away from the growing Ganon. She followed his instructions and ran from the hall. "Azaan… it is an honor to have fought along side you."

"And an honor to fight along side you, sir." Azaan saluted him as Ganon exited the darkness. He now had two large swords and wore a shroud of darkness. His eyes burned with hatred and Twili flame. "What's our odds, you think?"

"I don't care. I'm not dying unless I take him with me." Link adjusted his sword in his hands. He looked over the new Ganon. "We just may die here."

"I can live with that." Azaan smiled and dusted himself.

"I'll let you make the first move, you sorry bastard!" Link antagonized Ganon. He sense how the battle would play out. He turned to Azaan and warned him. "Once this starts, don't stop moving, never stop even once!"

Ganon sprung like a trap at them. Link and Azaan put their swords together in an X shape to catch him, but he averted under them in mid-jump. Link and Azaan had anticipated that and spun the opposite directions of each other, outside Ganon's swords' striking distance. Their blades clawed their way up the back of the darkness covering Ganon, but finding no flesh to cut.

Ganon back-flipped over them as they tried to strike his back again. He cleaved upside down with both swords but they both sidestepped in time to dodge them. Their reflexes weren't as fast as his though; as he planted his heel into Azaan's back and smacked Link across the room with the broad side of his swords.

Azaan fell to the floor and Link crashed into the far wall, while the Great Fairy laughed above them. The new and improved Ganon was worth the investment. Now if only she knew where the triforce of wisdom had gone.

Midna knew the palace well enough to navigate it blindfolded. She opened every door and climbed every stair. Dimitri had to be in here somewhere. She couldn't sense him anywhere. She went down a long hallway and came to the last door.

She opened the door quickly, desperate. She found Dimitri lying in the bed, unconscious. Against the wall, she saw Ashei leaning with her hands covering her face.

She didn't think anything of Ashei and went to Dimitri. She felt his forehead, and he wasn't burning up, he was ice cold.

"Ashei, what's wrong with him?" Midna didn't look up.

"He's dying…" Ashei said, muffled by her hands. "And there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"What?" Midna looked up at the woman. She finally saw the back of Ashei's hand. "You're the one who has it?"

"I don't know why." Ashei moved her hands. "It came to me, but I know I'm not worthy of it."

"The triforce came to you for a reason. You have to become worthy of it. Now, do you know any healing magic?" Midna's hands began to glow green and repairing the damage done to Dimitri's body.

"No… I don't know any healing magic…" Ashei felt useless.

"I do." A heavenly yet familiar voice came from the foot of the bed. Bright dots of light began to band together, creating the outline of a person with elegant turquoise wings. Ashei held her sword, ready to kill the Great Fairy. But soon the figure became fully visible, and they realized it wasn't the Great Fairy. Princess Zelda stood before them with glowing wings. "I can heal him."

"Princess!!" Midna bowed. She shook her head and raised Midna back to normal level.

"I am no longer a princess. I have ascended from that existence. I believe fate has something planned for me, but I'm not sure what." Zelda moved from her to Dimitri. She touched his hand, and kissed it. "He fought for Hyrule, even though he despised it. And he fought to avenge me… I watched him react to my death from above. I didn't realize he still loved me… And I was being controlled by that look-alike… How foolish I am."

"Please, do something!" Ashei dropped her sword. She kneeled beside the bed, watching Zelda use powerful magic. The triforce of power began to flicker on his left hand again. But this time, it began to get brighter.

Zelda finished and pulled back the covers over him. They saw all of his bones were fixed, his bruises were gone. All of his internal bleeding had stopped. He stirred, and opened his eyes. He looked around before moving, just as he taught others. He saw Midna off to the side and Ashei and Zelda standing over him…wait… Zelda?!

He sat bolt upright, scaring Ashei and Midna, but not fazing Zelda. He immediately took Zelda in his arms. He didn't understand how she was here, or why she had wings like the Great Fairy's, but he didn't care. He held her with his eyes closed, afraid it would all disappear.

"Dimitri. I am not going anywhere." Zelda wrapped her wings around them. She blocked off the other two in the room with her brilliant wings around them, not able to hear what they were saying. "It's ok. I'm so glad you're ok."

"What happened to you?" Dimitri kissed her neck.

"I believe that I may be the replacement for the Great Fairy…" Zelda could finally hold him against her. "I lost the triforce of wisdom when I died… and it went to Ashei. She was the one who kept you alive this long."

"And I'm glad she did… I wouldn't have been able to see you again." Dimitri had truly missed her for years.

"We are both indebted to her… She loves you, Demi." Zelda told him. "She was about to kill herself but her love for you made her hesitate. And in that instant of hesitation, the triforce of wisdom chose her."

"I had no idea…" Dimitri said thinking about all Ashei had done for him.

"And I'm sorry about Ralis…" Zelda had seen the Great Fairy kill him for wanting to revive her. "He turned because I didn't show him the love I should have… the love a diverted from him to you."

"I regret what happened to Ralis… I do… but I don't think anything else could be done." Dimitri knew that he was dead. He had felt his overwhelming presence extinguished. "Who did it?"

"The Great Fairy, the same one who gave him his powers back." Zelda knew the hesitation in Dimitri's mind. "I'm sorry about her… I wish she would be back to normal for you so you be happy"

"No. I wouldn't take her back now." Dimitri came to grips with his situation. Zelda folded her wings back down, letting them rejoin reality. "I'm going to kill her with my own hands."

Ashei and Midna looked at him, only hearing that last line of the whole conversation.

Dimitri noticed their concern. He looked at Zelda, who looked up at him and gave him a look of amusement.

"I meant the Great Fairy." Dimitri stated. "Wait, my Claymores are broken…"

"Easily fixed. I remember your swords." Zelda let go of Dimitri and put her hands on the ground. She pulled a perfect copy of his Claymore from the ground, letting it form from the stone, but then it turned into real steel. She handed it to him. "I can only make one though…"

"That's fine. One will be enough. I'm ready to fight." Dimitri felt his power returning.

Azaan was in mid-air and had dropped his sword. Ganon came straight up into his back, shattering several vertebrae. He let Azaan fall to the floor next to Link. Link's jaw was broken from a direct scissor kick. They both lay on the ground, beaten and bleeding.

"Save me the trouble and kill yourselves." Ganon crackled with dark energy from the tips of his swords. Link couldn't pick his sword up anymore, but still defiant, lifted his left hand. The triforce shone strong and let Ganon watch as he raised his middle finger.

"Fuck. You." Link enunciated clearly with his broken jaw. Ganon chuckled at his display.

"I don't think you can do shit." Ganon shouldered his swords and took his time walking to the injured duo. "Azaan, I underestimated you. But then you underestimated me. I don't think you'll ever walk again."

"Thanks. So glad to hear that, fucker." Azaan said laying on his side. His back was wrecked completely. He still reached for his sword.

"Remember what I said Ganon?" Link grabbed Ganon's boots.

"About you not dying unless you took me with you?" Ganon smirked and let Link toil helplessly.

"Yeah. I meant it." Link climbed up Ganon's cloak. He hung from his chest at this point. "I always mean what I say."

"Oh really?" Ganon said right before Link smashed his forehead into Ganon's nose, breaking it and causing black Twili blood to go all over them. Ganon fell backward with Link on top of him. Link felt the Holy Emissary powers within him grow.

Ganon looked at him in horror as Link used both fists, pounding his head against the stone floor with every blow. Link had the advantage once again. The Great Fairy watched her 'dark God' being pummeled by the Hero of Hyrule. It was a bad rerun.

Ganon was sprawled out, unconscious and losing blood. Link was still punching straight down into his face. Link wasn't stopping anytime soon. The Great fairy decided enough was enough.

"Very good Link." She said and stopped back onto the stone floor. Link stopped and looked at her with death on his mind. "I see that you make a much better Holy Emissary than Dimitri."

"You should never be allowed to speak of him again… after the way you betrayed him." Link put one more good punch into Ganon's skull, breaking the entire frontal part inward. "I hope you like puzzles. Because Ganon's skull is going to have a lot of fucking pieces."

"I don't care about him anymore." The Great Fairy was being honest. She wanted him. "You could be a very valuable instrument to me."

"Yeah, just like you used Dimitri all this time." Link rolled off of Ganon's body. "And how you used Ganon. The things that you did make me so sick!"

"Now now Link." The Great Fairy tried to sooth him. He kept backing away from her. "Why are you running from me? You are worth too much for me to kill now."

Link kept reaching backward and pulling himself along the floor. His hands reached the stairs, but he didn't have enough strength left to climb them. She reached down for him, and Link flailed at her arms. He knocked them away, but couldn't keep doing it.

"It's not wise to keep resisting me. I can make all your dreams come true, just like I did for Dimitri." She smiled innocently.

Right before she grabbed him, Link saw a shadow flash over him. And then he saw the Great Fairy knocked down by whatever had flown over him. He waited for it to stop moving, and found that it was the dark throne that had stood behind him. He turned to see what was going on.

"You alright, brother?" Dimitri stood at the top of the stairs with a Claymore in his hand, flanked by Ashei and Midna. From behind all three of them, came someone that had wings just like the Great Fairy's. He rubbed his eyes and nearly passed out when he saw that it was Zelda.

"I've been so much better." Link smiled, knowing this was the turning point. Link observed Dimitri and Ashei step past him down the stairs. Midna moved to his side, while Zelda flowed through the room to Azaan.

"Leave this to us." Ashei gave him a thumbs up when she walked by.

"I think I will." Link lay back onto Midna's lap.

Dimitri knew that Zelda was healing Azaan so he had nothing to distract him. He saw the Great Fairy picking herself off the ground.

"You ready, Ashei?" Dimitri felt mellowed out for once.

"More than ready." Ashei drew her sword. They stood mere feet from the Great Fairy. "Are you ready to die bitch?"

"I'd like to see you kill a God." She still had some bite, delusional or not.

"I seem to remember; somewhere I read it, that the Great Fairy was not immortal. But instead just a divine presence to help protect Hyrule." Dimitri recalled.

"They were wrong." She remained confident.

"No, I think you're wrong." Ashei spoke up. "But I have to thank you for the triforce of wisdom."

"You lying wench." The Great Fair shook off the thought.

"She's not lying." Dimitri smiled with sick satisfaction. She held up her left hand and showed the deity what she now possessed.

"How unfortunate… for the triforce to go to someone so unworthy." The Great Fairy laughed. Ashei used the hand that bore the triforce to slap the goddess, or so she thought. "You will pay for that! And don't think that you won't pay for this too, Dimitri."

"I'm looking forward to it." Dimitri felt the best he had ever felt. Nothing was going to stop him from ending all of this.

"So who wants to start?" The stressed goddess offered.

"I'll start." Ashei said before Dimitri could take the chance.

"As you wish." Dimitri moved out of the way. He moved to Zelda and Azaan. He was beginning to move again.

"Have you overcome the trauma that you suffered?" She pointed to Ganon's corpse.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine now." Ashei was very happy with the fact that he was severely to death. Link really was a bad ass just like his big brother. "I'm going to kill you and avenge all of the Resistance."

"How noble." She stretched her wings to full span. She took off from the ground and circled Ashei in the air. She swooped every now and then to strike at Ashei, but she was too quick. "I see you've gotten faster."

"Of course. It comes with the feeling of confidence." Ashei was feeding off Dimitri's confidence, giving her some of her own. When the Great Fairy came down again, Ashei jumped onto her. The extra weight threw off her path and they slammed into the ground.

Ashei thrust straight down with her sword, but the Great Fairy caught it against her bare arm. Ashei was impressed as nothing showed on her arm, any cut or blood at all. Her attack was deflected and Ashei lost hold of her sword. Ashei moved closer for hand to hand combat.

The Great Fairy met her challenge and swung first. It came at such speed that even Ashei's eyes couldn't track its path. It struck her in the stomach and was followed up with an uppercut to her chin.

"Ganon raised a valid point about each one of you." She smiled as she watched Ashei double over. "Each one of you is underestimating us."

"I haven't underestimated you." Ashei brought her knee into her enemy's side. "I just lulled you into a false sense of security."

Ashei began an onslaught on the Great Fairy, leveling her to the ground. Dimitri was proud of how Ashei was completely dominating. He hadn't expected this much ability.

The Great Fairy lay on the ground, still no sign of injury, but was panting and struggling to move.

"I guess beauty and perfection are only skin deep after all." Ashei wiped sweat from her forehead and pulled her hair back out of her face. "Your powers prevent damage from showing on the outside, but all the damage goes internal."

"What's your point?" She spat as Ashei. "Jealous? Jealous of a goddess?"

"Fuck no. Because you're not a goddess anymore." Ashei bit back. "You're a demon now. Just like me."

The Great Fairy decided it had gone on long enough and held her hand up. It began to emanate with holy light. Ashei's Twili eyes were blinded by it and left vulnerable.

Dimitri knew what had happened. That light would permanently blind her and began to rot away Ashei's body from the inside. She was still a Twili after all.

The Great Fairy picked herself up rather quickly and drew her arm back to strike Ashei. Dimitri acted quickly and jumped in front of the attack. Her fist met with his chest, and absorbed every ounce of shock without flinching. She looked up into her former lover's eyes.

"Your power…" She stammered.

"Is back? Yes it is." Dimitri finished her sentence. "Why did it happen like this? Did I do something wrong?"

She tried to back away but Dimitri grabbed her slender and delicate wrist.

"Let go!" She couldn't break his hold of her wrist.

"I can't." Dimitri wrestled with the thoughts and memories he had with the former deity. He finally quelled every single one of them, knowing it was for the better.

"I won't repeat myself, Dimitri!!" She snarled.

"I can finally let you go… in all entireties." Dimitri let go of her wrist and smiled.

"What is that fucking look for?!" She felt the damage done to her wrist, though it didn't show. Dimitri just looked at her and then turned to Ashei.

"Are you ok?" Dimitri knew that her flesh was burning on the inside.

"It's eating my body away…" Her voice was strained. Her vocal cords were being attacked by the light's presence as well. Dimitri laid her down and looked to Zelda.

"Zelda, please take care of her." She came over very quickly.

"I will." She acknowledged.

"Demi…" Ashei called as he stood up.

"What?" He looked back down at her.

"Don't be hampered by our presence. Give it all you have." She advised him with a rigid voice.

"I'll take care of it." Dimitri stood face to face with the Great Fairy, who had fallen from grace as they watched.

He looked around before he did anything. He saw Link still with sword in hand, lying at the foot of the stairs. He saw Azaan propped against a far wall, his body recovering from the spinal damage. Midna and Zelda tended to Ashei, whose body was slowly being destroyed. His eyes came full circle and landed on his enemy.

"I asked once but you ignored it. Why did you do all of this?" Dimitri wanted to know where he had gone wrong.

"Because this land of Hyrule has gone on long enough. Ganon should have eclipsed Hyrule into darkness a year and a half ago while he controlled the Twili. But no! You're little fucking brother who I helped save ended up sealing him back into the sacred realm, where I had to constantly monitor him." She painted a pretty good picture with her words. "And then I found that little spark of deception Ralis sheltered, when he received the Twili powers from Zant. No one knew he had them until six months ago when I fanned his flame."

"You have been planning this…" Link said aghast from behind them.

"For a long time. And then I made the mistake of falling in love with a damn mortal like you!" She yelled at Dimitri. "It threw everything off when you received the triforce of power. It was supposed to go to Ralis! And it didn't help that you fought Ralis. The triforce chose to give you the power as the Holy Emissary to stop him and protect Hyrule. That was the biggest load of shit I have ever heard of."

Her corruption and darkness showed through, hurting Dimitri like he had never hurt before. He let it go; knowing that what he was going to do was the right thing to do.

"I kept you from the real world Dimitri, while I harbored Ganon and strengthened him with the power of the Twili realm. If you and your brother had never been born, Hyrule would no longer exist. It would all be the Twili realm, every little inch." She cursed. "And I wouldn't have to put up with the creatures of Hyrule, the people, the pointlessness."

"You were fed up with it?" Dimitri tried to understand.

"More than fed up!! Fucking sick of it!!" She screamed at him. "That's all there is to it. Now, if you are all ready to die, let's begin."

"Touché." Dimitri raised his Claymore, pointing it directly at her throat. "You are no longer the guardian spirit of Hyrule."

"Like I care. All I know is… you are all going to die." She grabbed the tip of his sword and threw him into a wall with it. She still held onto his sword, with him refusing to let go of the hilt.

Dimitri braced his legs against the wall, and pushed himself off. He let go of the sword and shifted his body in the air. He kicked straight down onto the Great Fairy's head, stunning her. He hit the ground on his hands, facing away from her. He spun his body and leaned his legs straight out. He landed four successful kicks on her body while spinning upside down on his hands.

She backed up and put her arms up. Dimitri righted himself and picked his sword off the ground. While she couldn't see past her arms, he lashed hundreds of times in seconds across her arms. There was still no blood, but bruises were actually starting to develop.

She put her arms down to face him. He led in with his sword, but she reacted and put her arm up. He feinted the sword to his right, drawing her protective arm away. He followed into her shoulder with his fist while spinning his body.

She shook off the impact of the punch to the shoulder, but felt tremendous internal damage. She caught him in a spin with his back to her. She grabbed around him, stopping him with her face in his ear.

"Does this rush feel good? Fighting a god? Doesn't every man dream of this?" She played her mind games well, but Dimitri was not so discouraged.

"I never dreamed of fighting anyone or anything. Especially someone who knows they've lost." He was taller and used it to his advantage. He slung her over his shoulder and interlocked her arms around her own neck. He kicked her knees out from behind, leaving her kneeling on the floor with both of her arms choking herself. "And now is the last chance to beg for mercy."

"Why should I beg? I'm immortal." She said as Dimitri relieved just enough pressure for her to speak. He put the pressure back on and pulled her arms even harder.

Dimitri felt something snap in both of her arms. He sensed that he had stressed the ligaments and tendons in her elbows. He never once let up. He felt sick satisfaction by doing this, punishing the one who betrayed him.

He stopped. He let go of her arms and everything. That's what was going on? He wanted revenge? Is that what he was doing this before? He started to falter, but then he remembered. This is for Hyrule's safety!

He picked her up by her turquoise wings. He reached around her throat and pulled her chin to wear she looked back at him.

She was breathing hard and he could see her eyes begging for mercy, finally giving up. His deepest thoughts cried out to feel her lips against his again, but he knew better. She could see the merciless beast inside him ready to rear its ugly head.

"Please Demi… you were right…" The innocence returned to her beautiful voice. He didn't want to hear it. He felt a state of mental treason growing. One part of his mind said to forgive her and let her go, while the other yearned for her blood. "Please Demi… just kill me…"

Dimitri stopped himself. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath. She was accepting her death.

"What?!" Dimitri gripped her throat.

"I said please kill me Demi… The darkness has taken over my being. Your deity is no longer holy, but instead, desecrated." She had tears of blood running down her face. Those tears that were said to bring back the dead. Her eyes flashed to darkness again. "Or do you think you aren't strong enough?!"

"Please, Gods above…" Dimitri prayed and threw her into the air. He used speed untapped before and grabbed his Claymore again. He jumped up after her. On her way down, he saw her face… she was smiling and still crying. He drove his Claymore through her body in mid air. "Forgive me…"

Dimitri felt the weight of the Twili realm and the presence of the triforce collapse on top of him when he hit the ground. As soon as he landed with her body in his hands, her blood and tears awash over him, everything went black.

It had rained Twili blood for three days before the sun shone over Hyrule again. The blood was erased from the land by fresh rain. The people who had fallen prey to the darkness were returned to normal. Ordon, which had been burned to the ground, was revived. Kakariko was revitalized, all the dead brought back to the realm of the living. Castle Town and the damage to Hyrule Castle were repaired.

The people never knew who had saved them, or what had threatened them in the first place. Once again, the whole kingdom was oblivious to what had nearly happened. The Zora prince Ralis never remembered anything of what he had with Zelda, and then what he had lost, his memory being blank of the events that had happened between the first Twili incident six months before until now.

Zelda was nowhere to be found in the kingdom of Hyrule, but she had appointed the loyal captain of the Hyrule Knights to be the new king. He led the kingdom with all righteousness and honor.

Rusl came back to Ordon, with no memory of his crimes as a Twili. Auru and Shad were left to return to their studies of the world, knowing nothing other than what they were told.

No one seemed to remember any of the three triforce bearers… They're memory faded into time as the ones who held Hyrule together.

When asked, no one recognized the names, Dimitri, Link, Ashei, or Midna.

They had been granted immortality by the new Great Fairy, the former ruler of Hyrule, Princess Zelda. They stayed behind the scenes of history, gently giving time a nudge when needed.

"Hey Dimitri." Link sat with Dimitri, Ashei, and Midna on the tallest dune of the Gerudo Desert. Dimitri held Ashei in his arms, now free of Twili influence. Link sat beside Midna, the former Twilit princess. Each of their left hands besides Midna's showed their mark of triforce bearers. "When are you going to make me an outfit like yours?"

"Why do you want one?" Dimitri rested his chin on the crown of Ashei's head. She had her eyes closed as she leaned against him.

"You said one time the reason you wear it is to look cool. I want to look cool too." Link said, feeling Midna rub his back and laugh.

"Yeah, look real studly." Ashei messed with him a bit.

"Right?" Link looked to Midna. She smiled and nodded. "See?"

"You don't deserve to wear my outfit." Dimitri kissed the back of Ashei's neck.

"Yeah, more like something with rainbows horses on it." Zelda came up from behind them. They looked back to see their guardian spirit of the world.

"Not you too." Link frowned a little.

"Relax bro." Dimitri flicked some sand at him. "How does it all look?"

"Everything is perfectly fine." Zelda smiled with kindness and divinity. "It all turned out perfect. My work is done…"

"Not yet." Ashei smiled and looked up at her.

"What?" Zelda had a puzzled look on her face.

"You have to keep an eye on these two." Midna finished what Ashei was going to say and pointed at Dimitri and Link.

"You have got to be kidding me." Link stood up. "Like we're gonna do anything."

"I might." Dimitri laughed. They all laughed and felt the weight of the world lifted off their shoulders for now.

The memories were there in their minds. All the pain and suffering, but they didn't care. They let go of it all. For they were now the Kings of Fate, as history would come to know them.


	3. Above the Shadow Soundtrack

Above the Shadow Official Soundtrack

Above the Shadow Official Soundtrack

"Happy?"- Mudvayne- Main Theme

"American Hollow"- Martyr AD- Dimitri's Theme

"Opium of the People"- Slipknot- Link's Theme

"Nymphetamine"- Cradle of Filth- Ashei's Theme

"Requiem"- Trivium- Zelda's Theme

"And Sadness Will Sear"- Trivium- Great Fairy's Theme

"Take This Life"- In Flames- Rusl's Theme

"Ten Ton Brick"- Hurt- Ralis' Theme

"Ride the Lightning"- Metallica- Auru's Theme

"Life is Beautiful"- Sixx A.M.- Shad's Theme

"A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation"- Trivium- Azaan's Theme

"Through the Iris"- Ten Years- New Threats

"Not Alone"- All That Remains- Dimitri's Return

"Bittersweet"- Apocalyptica- Realizing Old Feelings

"Get Psycho"- Disturbed- Watching the Death

"Shadow of a Man"- Mudvayne- What He Once Was

"Ten Thousand Strong"- Iced Earth- Facing the Darkness

"Move"- Thousand Foot Crutch- The Final Battle

"The Crusade"- Trivium- Ending Credits


End file.
